The Blood Crystal
by Melolabel
Summary: AU-When Angela is kidnapped by a rogue Vampire, Bella embarks on a whirlwind adventure to save her friend. When she becomes lost in the rain forests of Peru, who will come to her rescue? And what is the Blood Crystal?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to my new story! This one is a little different, okay, a LOT different than New Frontier, but I hope you will still enjoy it. It starts off a little dark, but there will be fun and fluff in later chapters. Hang in there and of course, I live for and LOVE reviews so please be generous with your comments! **

**And if you loved New Frontier please go nominate it at the twilight awards (link is on my profile)**

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The Blood Crystal

**Summary:** When Angela is kidnaped by a rogue Vampire, Bella embarks on a whirlwind adventure to save her friend. When she becomes lost in the rainforests of Peru, who will come to her rescue? And what is the Blood Crystal?

**Disclaimer for the whole story:** I do not own rights to Twilight, these characters have been created by Stephenie Meyer. I am making no money off of this story. Any similarities to other works copyrighted or not is unintentional.

A big thanks to my beta and sounding board _SweetThunder_!

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Chapter 1

_**Volterra, Italy**_

"WHERE IS IT?" The ancient one was raging among his minions. "What fool allowed a nomad to come anywhere close to the most precious of objects in this fortress? Who was on guard?"

All of the others in the room looked nervously around placing their stares anywhere but on the milky red eyes of Aro. Jane stood next to the old vampire and smiled smugly at the cowering mass that was thrown into the middle of the windowless stone room where the thrones were.

"Felix! Are you responsible for this breach?" The hooded figure remained on his knees, his head hung down. His silence was confirmation enough. "Do your worst Jane." Aro turned and walked to his two brothers to discuss their options. They placed their heads together in a bizarre sort of triad and began their silent conference. The only sound to be heard were the shrieks coming from the pitiful heap that was once Felix.

"Enough Jane." Immediately the howling stopped and the brothers turned to the rest of the guard. "Demetri, you will locate the rogue and that red-headed devil woman he was with. Find them, destroy them and return the crystal back to me," Aro ordered, "Jane, Alec, and Hesperia, you will go with him." The group nodded and disappeared through a large oaken door.

"Heidi, please take this vile piece of garbage to his room. He will be of no use to me for days." A tall blonde woman nodded and threw the limp figure over her shoulder. When she exited the room, Aro turned to Marcus and Caius.

"Brothers, our time is limited. If the crystal is not returned soon, all will be lost."

_**Seattle, WA**_

_**BPOV**_

Her heaving bosom glistened with sweat, the handsome sailor took notice immediately of her state of undress_...UGH! Why am I writing this trash? _I closed my laptop and pushed away from my desk. What on earth was a virgin doing writing about 'heaving bosoms' and 'throws of passion'? It was laughable that a magna cum laude graduate with a masters in ancient languages and literature was writing trashy romance novels. Unfortunately the bills had to be paid and that wasn't going to happen with out a job.

I plodded around my small apartment picking up the bits of paper I used to brainstorm ideas on. I guess I was old fashioned that way. I liked seeing the pencil scratches and the arrows and all my other crazy markings when I was coming up with a story. Once the mess was handled, I opened the refrigerator to find an expired half gallon of milk, a limp sack o' salad, and something with gray hair on it.

I reluctantly picked up my jacket and purse, I hated going out. I guess you could say I was a bit of a recluse. I usually ordered my groceries to be delivered but at 10 o'clock at night, I was going to have to go to the store to get something to eat. That and I was out of tissues. I hated having a cold, but what can you do?

I walked the block and a half to the small supermarket and filled the little handheld basket with my staples; tissues, a box of cold medicine, milk, spaghetti, sauce, and I had to indulge in some cheesy garlic toast. I walked slowly back to my empty little apartment, though the word 'little' was probably too generous. When my college roommate, Angela, moved out after graduation, I had to downsize to a studio. I didn't really have any friends in the city, so it's not like company was coming over anytime soon, and it suited me just fine.

As I prepared my dinner my thoughts drifted to Angela. She and her fiancé Ben felt the need to do something altruistic so they joined the peace corps. They ended up being sent to some remote part of Peru, near the border of the Amazon. She would write when she could, I would get one or two letters every couple of months. She had asked me to join with her, but I had issues leaving my apartment, let alone getting on an airplane and going to some godforsaken jungle. That didn't stop me from having an up-to-date passport, though. I had this wild romantic idea that I should always have a passport ready, just in case some handsome man wanted to whisk me off to some enchanting foreign hideaway. HA! _I really have been writing smutty novels for too long._

After I had eaten my food, I decided to clear my head with a nice hot bath. I'd pick up with miss 'heaving bosom' tomorrow. The soak was wonderful and I was out like a light in very little time.

When I woke I tapped out the rest of the chapter I had been working on. I had a meeting with my editor in the afternoon, and she wanted to see progress. I dressed in my 'work appropriate' outfit, a pair of navy slacks and a white button down shirt, topped off with a gray blazer. It was plain and boring, just like me.

I grew up mostly with my Dad Charlie, he usually wore flannel or his police uniform. I guess that's why my sense of style is in the toilet. I grabbed a pair of flats and threw them in my messenger bag and laced up my trusty hot pink chucks.

I decided to take the stairs, it was only two flights down, and you know what _they_ say about exercising whenever you can. As I reached the lobby, I noticed our mailman, trying to stuff a large manilla envelope into my box.

"Hey Joe! I'll take that off your hands." I walked towards him with a little more enthusiasm than before. I hardly ever got 'real mail' and this looked important.

"Thanks Bella, here you go, and here's the rest of it." He handed me the large yellow envelope and a stack of junk mail. I tucked the big one into my bag and quickly sifted through the other pile while standing over the trash can. _Keep, toss, toss, toss, toss, shred, toss, toss. _Done! Sorting my mail like that was a cinch. I shoved the two other pieces of mail into my bag and headed off to my editor's office.

The meeting was fairly uneventful. Jessica underlined and bracketed, nodded, scowled, flipped quickly through the last few pages and handed me back the manuscript. I had some revising to work on but I was more anxious to find out what was in that mysterious envelope.

I headed to the nearest Starbucks and ordered a hot chocolate. The barista glared at me when I asked for more whipped cream. I just wanted some extra deliciousness on my chocolate, it's not like it was coming out of her paycheck.

I squished into a big comfy chair and took out the envelope. I looked over the postmarks and deduced immediately that it had come from Angela. I tore it open and dumped the contents out onto my lap. There was a note, some kind of really old looking parchment, and what appeared to be a hand drawn map. _That's weird, this is not the kind of thing I usually get from her._

I glanced briefly at the parchment and saw that it was indeed really old. _I'll have to be really careful with that. _I then moved on to the letter in Angela's handwriting.

_Dear Bella,_

_I hope you're doing well. I wanted to send you this parchment because you are the smartest girl I know. I was hoping maybe you could tell me what it says since it's obviously not in English, and I'm pretty sure it's not Spanish or Portugese. _

_Ben and I came across the parchment and a deep red crystal when we were hiking to a remote village about 100 miles from Iquitos Peru. I pulled a "Bella" and totally slipped off the side of the trail and Ben had to rescue me. While I pulled myself together, I noticed an old looking leather purse. I thought it was odd that something like that would be here in the middle of the jungle. So I picked it up and pulled the drawstrings, that's when I saw the crystal and the parchment. _

_I showed it to Ben and we decided to hide it. We couldn't take it with us to the Village and we wanted to make sure we remembered where we stashed it, hence the map. Keep everything safe and I don't think it would be a good idea to show any one else. I just have a creepy feeling about this stuff._

_I'll be in touch soon._

_Love,_

_Angela_

I folded the note and carefully picked up the parchment. Delicately, I opened up the ancient text and began to scrutinize the writing. _This_ was the kind of stuff I should be doing, I was fascinated by the intricate decorations around the edges of the paper, the deliberate scroll of the calligrapher's pen, pretty much just the antiquity of the whole thing. If I had to guess I'd put it at 4th or 5th century and it seemed to be written in some kind of extinct mix of Italian and Latin.

I was internally bouncing up and down like a little kid, it had been ages since I had a project. On the outside, though, I was the perfect example of calm. This was exactly the kind of distraction I needed to get my head cleared of all the ridiculous stuff I'd been writing.

I pulled out my legal note pad and began deciphering the words on the parchment before me. I don't know how long I'd been sitting there, but my cocoa was cold and it was now dark outside. I took that as my cue to head home.

As I was walking down the block my cell phone rang. The caller ID came up 'unlisted', I usually don't answer those, but I felt like this time, I should.

"Hello?"

"Bella? Is that you?" The voice frantically whispered.

"Ange? I'm here, what's goin..."

"Bells, I'm in trouble, did you get the envelope I sent?"

"Yeah, I just got it today why?"

"I need you to bring it back to Peru...I nee" it sounded like the phone dropped and another voice, much more chilling got on the line.

"Bella," hissed the icy voice, "what a beautiful name."

"What do you want? Where is Angela?"

"Don't you worry about her, she'll be safe as long as you do as you are told."

"What do you want? I don't have any money, neither does she."

"Ha ha, money is not what I'm after. She took something of mine and I want it back, and you're going bring it to me. If you involve the authorities, well, that would be a shame."

"Come to Iquitos Peru, and from there take the bus toward Santa Teresa. You'll get further instructions from there." _Click_

My hands were shaking as I closed my phone. I made my way back to my apartment stumbling more than once. When I approached my building there were a few police cars in front. I carefully pushed open the door and noticed my mail box had been pried open. I took the stairs two at a time clutching with one hand to my bag and with the other to the railing. I was panting quite hard when I got to the second floor. The hallway was filled with neighbors I'd never seen and a few police officers milling about.

My front door was taped off with yellow caution tape. I stood there with my mouth agape surveying what I could from the front door. Everything had been turned upside down. All the pillows on my bed were ripped, the cupboards were all thrown open and their contents strewn all over the floor. My clothes were flung everywhere and all my books were in a pile on the floor.

"What...I...how...what happened?" I looked forlornly at the officer in front of me.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" I nodded mutely.

"Your neighbor, Mrs. Chang, reported odd noises coming from your apartment. When we responded this is what we found. Do you have any idea who might have done this?"

Ahhh, so the cat lady called the cops. I had an idea who might have done this, but I couldn't tell him that so I just shook my head no. "I don't think I can stay here tonight, can I get a few things and go to a hotel?"

"We're just about done here, so that shouldn't be a problem, I'll let you know when you can come in. Excuse me a moment," the detective turned to another officer and began speaking in hushed voices. I overheard a little but it didn't sound very helpful. Something about no prints anywhere but they did find one single red hair.

I leaned up against the wall next to my door and closed my eyes. What was I getting myself into? PERU? For crying out loud! I'm going to have to remember my Xanax before I get on any kind of flying tin can. I was broken out of my musings when the cat lady shuffled up next to me.

"Such a shame," she squeaked in a heavy Chinese accent. "Too loud, I knew it not you brown hair girl, too loud." She walked away, her slippers flop flopping on the ratty carpet, stroking the cat in her arms all the while muttering in Chinese.

"Miss Swan?" I turned toward my door and the officer beckoned me inside. "I'll accompany you to get your things, just to maintain the integrity of the crime scene." I shuddered and walked past the older woman. I sifted through the rubble that used to be my closet and found my rolling carry-on bag.

I unzipped it and double checked that my passport was still in the pocket inside. I pulled it out and stuck it into my messenger bag. I then started tossing my clothing and an extra pair of shoes into the suitcase. I had to step over another pile of stuff to get into the bathroom gathered my personal care items and was lucky to find my prescription bottle of Xanax on the floor under the cabinet. I scanned the rest of the apartment and picked up my tattered copy of _Pride and Prejudice_. If I was to be on a plane for who knows how long I was at least going to need a book_._

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**_A/N: As usual PLEASE review and let me know what you think! Are we intrigued?_**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who read/reviewed chapter 1. So here we have a little more info on the initial heist, and Angela and Ben's situation. And our favorite Vampire family makes an appearance!**

**If you have questions, or if something is not clear, please either leave it in a review or PM, I try to respond to every single one!**

**Have a Safe and Happy New Year!**

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Chapter 2

_2 weeks prior to the break in at Bella's_

The two nomads deftly hopped the walls of the ancient city and made for the coast at top speed; the moonless night giving them slightly better cover. They quickly found the boat and sped off to catch the first flight out of Rome. It seemed their escape was flawless.

Everything went according to plan. The ruse that brought them to Volterra was never questioned. Their welcome into the castle was expected. The sacrifice of Riley was made worthwhile in the information he was able to give them before his demise. Without the map of the catacombs, they never would've found the guarded room. Too bad the poor idiot guarding the door was betrayed by his lust for the fiery Victoria.

They had been planning this coup for months-nearly a year in fact. Stealing the crystal would give them the power they needed to bring the vampire world out of the shadows and into power.

When they landed in Lima, Peru, they headed straight for the Jungle. It was lucky Victoria had such a knack for evading capture. They knew the Volturi would be hot on their heels, unfortunately for them they didn't realize how close. Very few knew about Demetri's ability to discern the location of most any vampire _anywhere_ in the world.

Victoria and her partner, James, stopped on the outskirts of a small village to quickly sate their thirst and plunged deeper into the jungle. They must have run several hundred miles when they smelled the familiar scent of vampire.

"We have to get rid of it, I'll lead them away and you take care of the bag," Victoria whispered furiously. James nodded and they split up. Victoria circled around and led away three of the tracking party from Volterra, while James tossed the leather sack several hundred yards away from him. He then met Demetri one on one.

They fought viciously but James' strength and speed were no match. Demetri was up in flames in a matter of seconds and James was off chasing the rest.

Daylight was dawning and Victoria had successfully led the Volturi guard away from James and had managed to give them the slip.

xxx

Ben and Angela snuck out of the cave and made sure to note the proper landmarks on their map. They doubled back over their trail and turned themselves completely backwards. They wanted to make sure they wouldn't be able to find the cave again without the map. They hurried back into base camp and quickly found an envelope. Bella would know what to do about this. The mail pouch left for town that afternoon.

Angela was almost asleep when an icy cold hand clamped over her mouth and forcefully pulled her up and out of bed. She tried to struggle but whoever had grabbed her had iron grips for hand. She looked frantically for Ben and saw that he was in the same predicament as she was. Heavy canvas sacks were thrown over their heads and they were thrown into the back of a vehicle. They were silently whisked out of their camp and taken to a run down building on the edge of Iquitos.

The young couple was dragged out of the car and tied up to hard chairs. There was very little light in the old building, but enough to make out the visage of their captors. Ben tried to shake off some of the disorientation and looked over to Angela. "Leave her alone!" He screamed, only to be knocked on the side of his head by the man. He quickly gagged Ben so as not to be distracted by his outbursts anymore.

Slowly, the vampire circled around Angela, prowling and drawing deep breaths full of her appetizing aroma.

"Where is my bag?" Hissed the man right next to her ear. She shivered with fear.

"I...I don't...know what you're talking about," stammered Angela.

Victoria slapped her across the face and Ben began to struggle against the ropes that were binding him to the chair. His cries of protest were muffled and made useless by the thick gag in his mouth.

Angela finally looked into her captors face and let out a gasp when she saw the blood red eyes in front of her. She'd never seen anything like it but she knew it was nothing natural. The question in her eyes spoke volumes.

James chuckled a bit and said, "so you're finally getting an idea of who you're messing with?" He bared his razor sharp teeth and leaned in towards her neck.

"Okay, okay! I don't have the bag and I couldn't find it again if I tried, I sent the parchment and a map to the states." James then licked her neck causing a shiver to run through the young woman's body. "Delicious," he murmmered.

"Where did you send it you foolish girl?" He gripped her neck tightly, making sure not to snap it. He still needed information.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she tried to shake her head. She didn't want to put her best friend in danger, but was this trinket worth her life? Certainly not. She gave the address and James released his hold on her. She slumped forward in her chair sobbing quietly.

"Victoria, start running. We can't risk the airports. You should be able to get there around the same time as the letter."

"What should I do with the girl who lives there?"

"I don't care," he roared. "Drain every last drop of blood from her veins! She's of no consequence to me. Just make sure not to be seen."

The sickening feeling of what she'd just done settled like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She'd just sentenced her best friend to the worst possible fate. The last thing Angela saw before she was knocked out was the flaming red hair sweeping out of the room towards her dearest friend.

xxx

_Present Time_

**BPOV**

The officer took my contact information and blabbed about something else that probably should be important to me but the only thing I could think about was getting to the airport. I hoped I had enough on my credit card to cover the flight.

I managed to flag down a taxi and headed to the Sea-Tac airport. I wasn't sure what kind of flights I would find, it was getting late and I kind of felt like I was on _The Amazing Race_. I found myself stumbling through the airport asking desperately for the next flight to Peru. It looked like I'd have to fly to Atlanta and then connect to Lima. From there I'd need to get on some deathly puddle jumper to Iquitos. I was going to die.

I was herded through security and looked at my watch. _Crap I have 10 minutes to run from here to the end of the concourse. I really am going to die._

After I got my shoes tied on I made a break for it. Angela was depending on me. I couldn't let my nerves and panic attacks stop me.

_Earlier that Day _

**EPOV**

I could hear the rest of my family preparing their luggage. I was already packed, sitting on my couch listening to my music, trying desperately not to _hear_ the inner monologues of my siblings. How I _loved_ my curse to read the minds of anyone around me.

Carlisle had once again become too young to appear 36 and we had long since finished high school, so we were off to do a tour with "Doctors without Borders"; at least Carlisle was. The rest of us would be working with the Peace Corps. Our flight was leaving tonight and Alice was still trying to pack her 'necessities'. Jasper and Emmett were playing video games for the last time and Rosalie was finishing one last manicure. We weren't planning on having very many niceties down in Peru.

Esme called up to everyone, "bring your bags down, we don't want to forget anything!" Reluctantly I peeled myself off the couch and headed down the stairs. One by one the rest of the family came down and deposited their bags in the foyer.

Carlisle came down the stairs rubbing his hands together. He was genuinely excited about this new opportunity. He'd been wanting to do something like this for a while now. "Well! Shall we go on one last hunt before we head to the airport?"

"Absolutely!" Bellowed Emmet, "don't want to start feeling peckish on the airplane do we now?"

I rolled my eyes and punched him in the shoulder. "I don't think anyone here, _including_ Jasper, will have an issue with the folks on the plane. Besides, there are far fewer people in first class than coach, so we'll be fine." We made our way through the forest and took off in separate directions.

I preferred hunting alone. The quiet in my head, the solitude was relaxing. I stopped running for a moment to take in the scents around me. _Ahhhh there it is...here kitty kitty._ I chased after the mountain lion and quickly drank it dry. A couple of deer and a lynx later and I was filled. My eyes were probably as light as they've ever been.

As I approached the house, I began to hear the excited chatter of Alice. _This should be interesting, I hope he fed well...Allons enfants de la patrie le jour de gloire est arrivé..._

Yes, I was well fed, but why was Alice now singing the French National Anthem in her head. "Why are you blocking me out sister?"

"Edward, I have no idea what you mean." I raised an eyebrow at her and shook my head. "Just know that our flight should be _interesting._"

"Alice," I grumbled, her vagueness was always so frustrating to me, "details please?"

"I don't have details, _Ed-ward_. The vision is fairly cloudy, the only thing I can say is that our flight will definitely be interesting."

"Whatever Alice. Just let me know if anything changes." I stalked off to the house and began hauling bags out to the cars.

We all loaded into the Vehicles, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie in the Jeep and Carlisle, Esme and myself in the Mercedes. We'd arranged for a service to return our vehicles from the airport back to our home in Forks.

Alice had assured us that the security check would go by without a problem, she then began snickering and filled her mind with the periodic table of elements. As we neared the check I began to hear what made Alice snicker. The female TSA agent was filled with lust, probably thanks to Jasper who'd gone through just before me, and her thoughts were less than pure. '_Yes I'm definitely gonna have to take this fine specimen for an extra thorough wand check'_.

I groaned internally while the woman escorted me to a different area of security. When she had completed her additional security measures she allowed me to leave. '_Mmmmm mmm. Looks just as good going as he does coming.' _I shook my head and made my way back to my family. Had he been human, Emmett would've been nearly purple from holding in his laughter.

"What's wrong Eddie?" He spluttered.

"Shut up, Emmett," I growled.

"Emmett, leave your brother alone," Esme chided.

We easily made our way to the gate and patiently waited for first class to board. I pulled out my ipod and settled in to the aisle seat. It seemed that most of the passengers had boarded and everyone was pretty much settled. I listened to the thoughts of the flight crew. Apparently we were waiting on one last passenger.

"Ummm, Edward?"

"What is it Alice?" I didn't mean for my voice to sound so annoyed, but I was a little tired of her antics today.

"I think you should sit back here with Jasper, and I'll take your seat."

"Why? What have you seen?"

She hesitated a bit and just started pulling my arm. "Alice," I warned.

"Just trust me please?"

"Fine." I gathered my things and moved back with Jasper. I turned and gave him a questioning look. He just shrugged his shoulders and I couldn't hear anything contradictory in his head.

Just as I had settled back down, the devil herself walked onto the plane. The petite brown haired woman stumbled onto the plane and struggled down the aisle. She looked up at the seat numbers and found hers right next to Alice. She clumsily hoisted her bag up into the overhead bin and squeezed past my sister. She turned, plopped herself into the seat in front of me. She leaned forward to take her jacket off and then adjusted the air flow above her. When she shook her hair the fan blew her scent right into my face. I was knocked backward and my eyes went wide.

Fortunately all of the airplane noise made the growl that emanated from my chest inaudible except to my family. Jasper turned to me and I could see in his mind my eyes had turned pitch black. He pushed his hand on my chest hard. I didn't even realize I was struggling toward the girl in front of me. I felt strong waves of calm washing over me, but the smell was still swirling around me.

"Turn it off brother. Stop breathing," Jasper whispered. I nodded and closed my airways. Carlisle and Esme looked over at me, concern etched on their features. I shook my head. At this point it was too late to do anything. We had already pushed away from the gate and were waiting for take off. This was going to be the longest flight of my life, hopefully the girl in front of me wouldn't die.

**BPOV**

When I'd managed to get myself settled into the ridiculously expensive first class seat (it was the only seat left of course), I took a deep breath and sighed. I reached into my bag and popped a Xanax. I could already feel the walls of this giant aluminum tube closing in on me. I closed my eyes and tried my relaxation breaths, but that wasn't helping at all. My eyes blinked open when the girl next to me began to speak.

"Hi, I'm Alice!" She was practically bouncing as she offered me her hand. She seemed way too happy and energetic for international traveling.

"Bella," I replied briefly taking her hand and politely shaking it. _Wow she must be really cold, her hand is freezing._

"It's soooo nice to meet you Bella! This is my husband Jasper and my brother Edward." She pointed to a handsome blonde man behind her and the glorious bronze haired man behind me. The one she indicated as Jasper nodded toward me and gave a small smile. The man she called Edward just stared at me, like I was the last thing on earth he wanted to look at. I tried smiling at him, I even offered my hand to shake, but he recoiled like I had just thrust a snake in his face. He gave me a curt nod and turned his face away from me.

_What's his problem? Gosh, it's not like I didn't wear deodorant or anything._ I was broken out of my thoughts by the ball of energy sitting next to me.

"Don't mind Edward, he's always a bit moody, and I think he's fairly anxious for this flight."

"Does he want a Xanax? I have plenty. I'll probably be out like a light in a half hour."

"No he has his own strange ways of dealing with his _issues_." She turned and shot a wicked glare at the man sitting behind me. "So are you getting off in Atlanta or are you continuing on to Lima?"

I couldn't decide if I should tell her the truth or not. I probably wouldn't see these people again, so what could it hurt? "Um, I'm actually connecting from Lima to Iquitos to meet a friend."

"Really?" She nearly shrieked. "We're going to Iquitos as well! My Father is joining the Doctors without borders program and the rest of us are working with the Peace Corps there."

"Wow, that's a really funny coincidence. The friend I'm meeting is working with the Peace Corps too." I let out a huge yawn, my day finally catching up to me. We'd been talking non stop, I wasn't even really aware of our taking off, and now the pills were starting to work.

"Well, I'll let you get some rest, you look worn out."

"Yeah, thanks." I pulled the pillow out from under my seat and tried to get comfortable. I twisted and turned and managed to catch another creepy glimpse of Edwards angry black eyes staring at me. _What a jerk._

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A/N: So here we have a little part of our "Biology Class moment". Can Edward keep it together for the whole flight? What's going on in his head? And what about poor Angela and Ben? Stay tuned and find out.

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**And of course, don't forget to hit that little green button and review! I love hearing your thoughts and theories!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed! Hugs to you all, those who are only reading, I would still love to hear what you think, even if it's only a few words. So this chapter was a little difficult for me to write, just because I feel like so much of it is kind of cliche-Beginning of Bella and Edward's relationship, but there's not a lot you can do about that. So bear with me and we'll get to some good stuff soon!**

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Chapter 3

**EPOV**

As I sat in the confines of my own personal hell, I took inventory of my life. True, I was a monster, but I had tried for the last 7 or 8 decades to put down my baser instincts. I had been rebellious for a time, taking it upon myself to be judge, jury, and executioner of those I deemed unworthy to continue living. But I had tried in some small measure to redeem some of my humanity. I guess now I was going to be thoroughly punished for my sins.

This small, insignificant human girl was going to be my complete undoing. I had never in my whole existence smelled a scent so intoxicating, so enticing, that it made me want to discard every shred of conscience that Carlisle had instilled in me.

Her blood was calling, singing to me, tempting me to sink my teeth into the soft flesh of her neck. Jasper continued to send waves of calm and tranquility toward me, and it helped to a certain degree, but I was still on the verge of insanity.

After an hour of intense inner turmoil, it dawned on me that I hadn't _heard_ her voice. I couldn't read her thoughts. I knew she was asleep right now, and usually it was even easier to read people then. Thoughts were uninhibited and dreams were often very interesting. But when I focused my attention on this brown-haired beauty, it was like running into a brick wall.

Now I was curious. What was it about this girl that made her impossible to hear? What made her different?

About 4 hours into the flight, Alice turned around and whispered at vampire speed, "You won't hurt her Edward, I've seen it and you won't." I shook my head still unsure of my control. Bella was beginning to stir awake and I wanted to find out more about the enigma that she was.

She and Alice had been talking for sometime. I honestly hadn't been paying attention at all. If I was going to talk to this girl, I needed to be able to breathe and I was still unsure if I could do that. I began testing myself in small doses, trying to desensitize myself. I was still struggling with her scent and the desire to drain every last drop of blood from her body.

Carlisle switched places with Jasper at some point and began an internal dialogue with me. _Tell me, Edward, what are you feeling? _

"I have never smelled anything so inviting and delicious in all of my years. It's like her blood calls to the deepest parts of me."

_She is your singer Edward. You must use every ounce of strength to control your urges, especially here on this airplane. You remember what happened when Emmett came upon his singer don't you?_

I nodded solemnly. He wasted no time at all before grabbing the poor woman from her laundry chores and doing what vampires naturally do. He was riddled with guilt for a very long time, but we never held it against him. I knew if we were in different circumstances, and I succumbed, no one would blame me. But here on a crowded airplane is the last place I could give in to my desires.

_I know you'll do the right thing son. You are second only to myself in your control and dedication to this lifestyle._

After my period of rebellion, I had rededicated myself completely to living the "vegetarian vampire" way. Carlisle nodded and then switched places again with Jasper.

_Edward! _Alice thought toward me, _come talk to her, she thinks you hate her and I want to sit with Jasper for a bit. I promise you WILL NOT hurt her. She's really quite comfortable around us. It's just YOU that's freaking her out because you're acting like an unfriendly imbicile._

"Jasper, what is she feeling?" I asked under my breath. Jasper concentrated for a bit on Bella. He confirmed what Alice had said. She was relatively calm with a hint of annoyance, I can only assume was directed at me.

Already sensing my decision, Alice excused herself and came to switch places with me. Reluctantly I got up and let Alice have my seat. I started towards Alice's seat but Bella jumped up abruptly and scurried past me. She glanced warily over her shoulder in my direction and made her way to the lavatory. I sighed and sat down in the aisle seat.

"Just try to behave like a normal person, okay Edward?" Alice chastised.

"May I remind you that I haven't been a 'normal' person for nearly 90 years, and I don't even remember my life as a 'normal' person."

"Duh, Edward, we're all in that boat. But you're a good study in normal human behavior. Just try to be nice, I know it's well outside of the realm of normal for you to hold a decent conversation with some one, but at least try?"

"I'll try Alice, but I can't promise anything." I leaned over and took several deep breaths near Bella's seat, still trying to desensitize myself to Bella's scent. Each time I inhaled it was like being hit with a wrecking ball, I could feel my eyes roll back in my head, the fire licking down the back of my throat. It was the thoughts of the crude man in the front of the seating section that brought me back to reality.

_My my isn't that a sweet little thing. I sure would like a moment alone with ... _My head snapped up and I saw Bella trying to make her way down the aisle. How dare that piece of swine be thinking that about a girl he's never even met. I was overcome with the desire to throttle the foul human. He moved his leg further into the aisle in an effort to make contact with Bella. Unfortunately the only thing it did was put her off balance and cause to trip. I felt the low rumble of my growl starting in my chest.

I don't know what made me do it but as quickly as was acceptable, I darted into the aisle and caught her by the waist before she hit the floor. I stood her up and quickly disentangled myself from her. She looked at me with wide eyes and seemed to shake off the feeling of shock.

I stepped aside and motioned toward her seat making sure to leave ample space between us. She slid past me carefully avoiding any further contact. I shook my head lightly trying to think of ways that I could remedy my earlier behavior.

She dug around in her bag and pulled out a book. I quickly surmised it was Pride and Prejudice and smiled inwardly. She was a romantic.

"So, you like to read?" I offered. She turned and looked at me quizzically.

She pointed to her chest and asked, "are you talking to me?"

"Um, yes, I was just noticing the title of your book, you like the classics?"

She shrugged and nodded. "This is my favorite, but I like lots of different books." She pulled the tome back up and tried to bury herself in it.

I turned a bit in my seat so that I was facing her more, "I, uh wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was a bit rude and just wondered if maybe we could start over?"

She snorted a bit under her breath and then turned to face me. She looked me carefully in the eyes and seemed to take an eternity to come to a decision.

I extended my hand, "Hi I'm Edward, it's nice to meet you." She continued to look at me skeptically then moved her tiny hand toward mine. "Bella, it's nice to meet you too." She gripped my hand and a buzz of electricity seemed to hum between the contact of our skin. I looked down at our joined hands and then back at her.

She seemed just as perplexed as I was and quickly broke our hold. She began rubbing her hand on the leg of her pants probably trying to return normal feeling back to her palm. I know I'd never felt such an exchange before.

"Must be some kind of static electricity in here or something," she mumbled. We shared a bit of an awkward silence before she picked up her book again. Right. So that went well. I gave a pointed look through the seats to Alice who just rolled her eyes and got back up. We switched places again and I closed my eyes desperately trying to feign sleep, but not having much luck I'm sure.

Whenever my eyes closed all I saw were deep chocolate pools gazing at me. All I could feel was the soft delicate skin of her hands. I was still no closer to understanding why I couldn't hear her thoughts, which was just maddening, I resolved, I needed to get to know her better. And how convenient we were headed the same way once we landed in Lima.

**BPOV**

I put my nose back in my book and tried to ignore the strange conversation that just took place between myself and Edward. At least he didn't look like he wanted to eat me anymore. I don't know what I did to offend him, but I had to give him points for making an effort to be nice.

The truth was I was completely intimidated by how wonderfully beautiful and perfect he seemed to be. Alice seemed friendly enough, but there again came that perfectly polished presentation. She was dressed impeccably, their whole family was for that matter. Alice had pointed out all the different members of the Cullen clan during one of our conversations.

It didn't help that I was wearing the same drab work clothes that I'd been wearing for almost a whole 24 hours nor had I had a shower in that long as well. I felt all the travel grime settling layer upon layer over my skin.

I stole a glance over my shoulder and noticed that Edward was looking right at me, but not in the creepy way like before. He looked puzzled, curious almost. I felt the blush creep up on my cheeks and turned away quickly. As I turned I swear I saw his lips turn up into a smirk. _Does he get off on making perfect strangers totally uncomfortable?_ I shook my head and tried to get back into my book, but all I could think about was that perfectly crooked smile and the mess of fwoopy bronze hair.

My reverie was broken when the sound of the Captains voice came on the loud speaker announcing our decent. We'd be landing in about 30 minutes and then I'd probably need another Xanax before I got on an even smaller death trap.

xxx

While waiting for the smaller puddle jumper to take me to Iquitos, Edward and Jasper disappeared somewhere. Not that I was really paying attention. Alice introduced me to Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett seemed nice enough, though he was enormous. Rosalie on the other hand looked at me like I was a piece of gum stuck on her designer pumps–completely annoyed.

I also got to meet Esme and Carlisle, both of whom were very kind. Esme and Alice seemed to have this strange knowing look on their faces that I just didn't have the energy to try and decipher.

My nerves were frayed and I was feeling close to throwing up when they called our flight. Edward and Jasper decided to grace us with their presence about 2 minutes before we boarded and immediately I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. It was weird, I looked over at Alice who just shrugged her shoulders and smiled while looping her arm around one of Jasper's.

I lugged my suitcase up the stairs of the tiny airplane wondering honestly if it was even going to be able to fly. There were 8 passenger seats on this plane and everyone paired off with whoever they seemed to be attached to. Leaving me to sit next to Edward. Great. I'm not sure if I'd be able to form coherent sentences while sitting next to him.

We all got settled and the Captain poked his head through the door to the cockpit andstarted speaking very quickly in Spanish. He tried to repeat what he'd said in English but that was almost worse than the Spanish. Edward turned to me and asked if I'd understood.

"No, but I'm guessing it's just the usual stuff right?"

"Right."

I had to ask, it had been bugging me since he and Jasper came back, "Edward? Did you put contacts in or something?"

"No, why?"

"Your eyes, are different."

"No they aren't. It was probably just dark or bad lighting on the other flight."

"Right, whatever. So are you looking forward to the Peace Corps?" I know it was a lame attempt at making conversation, but I couldn't stand an hour of awkward silence.

"Yeah, it should be a good experience. I know Carlisle is really looking forward to the whole thing."

I nodded, they seemed like a nice family, all of them doing something so selfless. My thoughts drifted quickly to Angela. I hoped she was okay. Ugh, what if I couldn't get to her in time? How on earth was I supposed to find her? Or whoever had her? What would happen once I did find her? We'd probably end up on the interpol list of missing persons. Once this maniac who had Angela got what they wanted, what would make them want to keep us witnesses alive? Nothing.

"Whoa, what are you thinking about? Your face just went from calm to panicked in a matter of two seconds."

Crap, was I that obvious? I can't have anyone nosing around me once we land, but I can't lie to save my own life. "Oh, um, I was just thinking about my friend. I'm a little worried about her is all." Yeah, that was true enough right?

"Oh, okay. So what are your plans once we get to Iquitos? Are you meeting your friend at the Peace Corps base camp?"

"Um, yeah, I think so. I have to call her once the plane lands." I decided I needed some music to calm my nerves. I pulled out my ipod and popped in my ear buds. I was just about to start the song when Edward leaned over. I could feel his breath cool and sweet on my shoulder.

"What are you listening too?" He asked all smooth and low. I think I started to melt into a puddle of goo right then.

"Oh, just some classical music. It usually helps me to relax, though I don't know if it will help until I'm on terra firma again." I gave a nervous chuckle and started up the song.

"Clair de Lune?" He asked his eyebrows arched a bit. I nodded and lifted one shoulder as if to say _'yeah, so what?' ._

"Debussy is one of my favorite composers, that's all." He smiled and closed his eyes. I did the same and tried to do my relaxation breathing but every time I filled my lungs, I could smell _him._ And good heavens did he smell divine. I don't know what kind of cologne or soap he used, but it was of course perfect.

No sooner had I drifted in my thoughts, when I felt a gentle nudge on my arm. "We've landed." Edward said, pointing out the window.

"Oh okay, thanks." I got up and gathered my things. Alice bounced over and asked if I wanted to ride with them to the base camp.

"We're getting a couple of private cars, it would be so much nicer than the bus. You're welcome to join us. It really wouldn't be a problem." She had her hands clasped in front of her and such a hopeful look. I hated to disappoint her.

"I don't know Alice, I have to first get in touch with my friend, and I really don't want to impose." She gave me the saddest pout and I had to shake my head. "Look Alice, after we get through the airport, if I see you guys, maybe I'll ride with you." She threw her arms around me and pranced off again to be with Jasper.

As we walked across the tarmac I sincerely thought about her offer, but base camp was not where I needed to go. I let the distance between myself and the Cullens increase and once we were inside the small airport, I was immediately engulfed in a sea of bodies. I was pushed and jostled and turned around more than once. And of course my luck would have me detained by security for some unknown reason. By the time I got out to where the busses and cars picked up passengers, I was sure the Cullens had left.

I looked for someone official but found it very difficult to distinguish who worked there and who was a regular person. I wandered a bit asking people in my oh so American accent, "donde esta el autobus a Santa Teresa?" Most people just looked at me funny, some gave the obligatory, "no comprende". I scanned the signs on the busses and finally found the one for Santa Teresa. I boarded and plopped down in a seat by the window. As the bus pulled out of the airport pick up lane, I could've sworn I saw a flash of fwoopy bronze hair and a distressed looking Edward.

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A/N:

Okay, so some of you may question my use of the word "fwoopy" but it comes from a review of the Twilight movie that was in the Chicago Tribune. My husband and I both thought the adjective was appropriate and hilarious. So it's in there in honor of my husband and his putting up with my Twilight obsession. The link to the review is on my profile. And now please take time to **Review this story por favor. Lots and lots of reviews make me happy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's the challenge folks. Chapter 1 got 27 reviews, ch.2 only 16 :( and ch.3 got 19. So let's see if ch. 4 can get 25. Again thanks to everyone who is reviewing! I love reading what you guys have to say! **

**Another special thanks to my beta SweetThunder.**

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Chapter 4

**Volterra, Italy**

It had been 2 weeks since the theft of the crystal and the ancient ones were beginning to feel it's loss. The changes were small and to the human eye, undetectable. To the vampire eye however, it was clear to see their skin had become even more brittle than before, and they were not moving as gracefully as they were accustomed.

The guard that had been dispatched had returned with unsettling news. Not only had they not retrieved the crystal but Demetri was not with them. To say that Aro was furious was an understatement.

Whispers and rumors were rampant throughout the castle that the three brothers were weakening; that a rebellion was on the horizon. Aro had to make a show of force and used one of the dissenters as an example. Once the flames had died and the purple smoke had cleared, no one dared speculate about the fitness of Aro, Marcus or Caius again.

**Iquitos ,Peru**

**EPOV**

Bella had gotten detained by security and became separated from us. We were waiting for our chauffeured cars when I noticed Alice's eyes glaze over. I was trying to sift through all of the different voices, but there were so many people waiting for busses and taxis I felt like I was listening to a bee hive in stereo.

A rickety old bus pulled away from the airport and I was momentarily captured by those deep brown eyes. Where was she going? I furrowed my brow and focused in on the thoughts of the people in the bus. Most were mundane, only the bus driver was thinking about his destination.

I looked again back at Alice who seemed to be coming out of her vision. She looked perplexed, something that Alice usually was not.

"What is it Alice? What did you see?" I was more curious than concerned.

She shook her head, "I'm not entirely sure. I still don't have a strong attachment to Bella, so I can't be sure. I'll need to search some more."

Jasper came over to my side and bumped his fist to mine. "You did good Edward. Better than I expected. Even I was struggling by the end of the flight. I'm surprised you were able to withstand the draw she has on you."

"Thanks Jasper, I was surprised at first, but when I heard what some of the other passengers were thinking about her, I had this overwhelming desire to protect her, not to harm her. I've never felt like that about another being, human or vampire, in my life."

He nodded and said with his mind, _There are other feelings there Edward. You need to do some soul searching, because protectiveness was not the only vibe I was picking up._

I quirked my eyebrow up at him, "first of all, it's hard to search a soul without one, and second, what is that supposed to mean? What else were you picking up?"

He just shrugged his shoulders stupidly then began thinking about attack strategies of the battle of Gettysburg. Why was no one being forthright with me? What was everyone hiding? Emmett came sidling up next to me and threw his arm over my shoulder.

"So what's up with the brunette chick?"

"Her _name_ is Bella, and nothing is up with her. She's gone her own way, probably won't ever see her again."

"That's too bad, she seemed like a funny girl." Rose came up at that point and wrapped her arms around Emmett's waist.

"Glad you didn't make a spectacle of yourself Edward," she sneered.

"So I noticed some turbulence Emmett, you mark another notch in your mile high belt?"

He just grinned while Rosalie rolled her eyes. They were so bad. At that point the cars arrived and we all piled into the two vehicles in the same arrangement as on our way to the airport.

Esme sat in between Carlisle and myself. She gently put her hand on my knee and looked into my eyes. I'm not sure what she saw, but a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"You look different Edward. Happier? Maybe, but I think it's more hopeful, that's closer to it. Tell me about this girl Edward."

"What is there to tell, apparently she is my singer and she smelled so good it took all of my strength not to sink my teeth into her." I was still a bit frustrated from the long flight and the effort it took to maintain our secret.

"That's not what I mean Edward. What is she like? You spoke with her for some time, you must have picked up on something in her mind, no?" Esme cocked her head to one side urging me to keep talking about this infuriatingly confusing girl.

"That's just it Esme, I couldn't hear her mind at all. She was silent as the grave when I focused on her thoughts. She seemed like a nice girl, smart, shy, clumsy. I don't know, she just made me feel...I don't know. It's not like it matters anymore. She's gone her own way so the point it moot." I didn't want to discuss Bella Swan anymore but Esme had other ideas.

"She made you feel what, Edward?" I had piqued her curiosity now and she wouldn't rest until she was satisfied.

"I don't know, some of the things other passengers were thinking about her made me so angry, I just wanted to protect her from the vile thoughts of others. And when she started to trip, I couldn't help myself, I had to catch her, so she wouldn't hurt herself. Maybe I just didn't want her to draw blood, I don't think I could've restrained myself, if it was flowing freely. Now I just hope she gets wherever she is going safely. It would be a shame if something happened to her."

Esme just nodded with this knowing look on her face. I turned to Carlisle, who seemed to also have the same look. What was with everyone and this _I know something you don't know_ look?

We were nearing the Peace Corps base camp and as I listened, there was a frenzy of activity going on. Apparently something had happened in the last day or two. We all exited the vehicles and made our way to the head office. The director greeted us, however his thoughts were focused on two volunteers an Angela and Ben. Apparently they were missing.

They showed us to our rooms and we started to get settled. Alice burst in and grabbed my arm. "Bella's in trouble. You have to go find her." I searched in Alice's mind and saw the replay of her vision-Bella walking down a muddy road being stalked by a set of red eyes on the edge of the forest. No, not her. Not her.

**BPOV**

The bus bounced along through the city and fortunately no one wanted to sit next to me, so I pulled out the notes I had made when translating the parchment. I wasn't quite done so I couldn't make out the whole meaning of the text, but from what I had done, it seemed to tell the legend of something very very old. I tried to remember if I'd adjusted my watch to local time, but I think I was too tired to remember. How long had I been traveling now? I'd been in the same clothes for close to 36 hours now? Ick.

The bus had long moved out of the city and was on some dirt road that was heading deeper into the rainforest. I was starting to feel a bit queasy so I put my note book away and tried to close my eyes. I wrapped my arms protectively around my messenger bag and leaned my head against the window. Somehow I was able to block out the sound of the squealing pig that was 2 rows behind me and the screaming child that was in front of me. I'm not sure how long I had dozed off for, but when I came to, everyone was filing off the bus. Some were grumbling others were yelling at the bus driver.

I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes and I was able to focus on what was causing the disturbance. A giant log and several boulders were blocking the road and the bus had gotten stuck in a large mud puddle. I was still sitting there, the last one on the bus, when the bus driver yelled at me.

"Salgan del autobus!" He waved his arms at me. I guess the dumb look on my face said it all.

He came and pulled me up by the arm and I quickly pulled my suitcase down off of the overhead rack. "Vayase, vete ve," he continued to push me down the aisle. I stumbled down the steps followed closely by the driver. Some of the passengers had gone one way, and others were heading back the way we came.

What was I supposed to do now? The bus driver looked over his shoulder and said, "Comience a caminar, usted no quieren permanecer aquí." What ever that's supposed to mean. I pulled out my cell phone, doubtful I'd have any service. Surprisingly I had like half a bar of service so I called Angela's phone. The creepy voice answered but the connection was really bad. I repeated over and over, 'I'm here in Peru, what do I do now?' but I'm not sure if it got through.

All of a sudden a huge clap of thunder boomed and a streak of lightning shot through the sky. The phone went dead and almost instantly a sheet of rain fell out of the sky. In that moment the weight of everything I'd been through came down on me like a wet blanket-literally.

I still had no idea what was happening with Angela, was she still alive? Would I ever see her again? Will I ever see anyone again? 2 days ago I was writing trashy romance novels and now I'm stranded in the middle of the jungle. I sat down on my suitcase and began to cry huge fat sobs of frustration and fear. I was starting to feel a bit hysterical, the last pill I had taken was wearing off and I think I needed another. I'm not sure how long I sat there. I was drenched with in seconds so I couldn't use how wet I was as a gauge.

The rain and thunder continued to pound loudly all around me, I didn't hear him approach. "You look like you're having a bad day." The smooth voice was familiar and so welcomed at that moment. I looked up through my stringy wet hair and sure enough those gorgeous amber eyes and that killer crooked smile stood staring back at me. Even though he was soaked too, he pulled it off and looked like he was doing a cover for some fancy magazine.

"Edward?" I stared incredulously and started spluttering, "why are you...how did you...what are you doing here?"

"Alice saw what bus you got on and had a _feeling_ that you might get into trouble. So I was designated to follow the bus and sure enough here you are."

"So you have a car?" I was so hopeful, he would be my savior and I wouldn't die alone in the jungle.

"Well, yes and no."

"What do you mean yes and no?"

"I came most of the way here in a car, but the little piece of junk ran out of gas a ways back. So it's not going anywhere on it's own."

"Maybe we could go back to it and just use it for shelter?" I just wanted to get out of the rain, I was feeling more and more like a drowned rat.

"Sure we can do that," shrugged Edward.

I don't know what came over me but I leapt up and threw my arms around his neck. "Oh thank you Edward, you are totally my hero!" He immediately stiffened and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. I quickly unwrapped myself from him and backed away. His eyes had turned black again and he looked like he was fighting something with in himself.

"Sorry, I just...I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say, I mean for all I know he had a girlfriend or something and didn't want some random girl accosting him. He shook his head and started walking in the direction of his car. I followed behind him as fast as I could, but dragging my suitcase and trying not to fall in the mud was becoming more and more difficult. I could hear my feet sucking in the mud with each step, it was kind of gross because the mud was warm which made me think of things other than mud. I pushed that thought out of my mind and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.

Edward was standing 20 or 30 yards away from me waiting on me to catch up. He looked a bit annoyed, which then made me annoyed. It's not like I was trying to go slow on purpose. I was carrying a bit more than the clothes on my back after all. I kept plodding along and glanced up again, only to notice Edward's demeanor had significantly changed.

He looked livid, like he was going to rip my head off. _Enough with the mood swings already. _"Bella, don't move," he growled. I stood stock still and asked, "what is going on Edward?"

He flew past me like he had rocket shoes on and literally flew into the forest. Through the rain I heard branches snapping, dead thudding sounds as well as more growling. I carefully looked over my shoulder but I couldn't see anything other than the trees shaking from the impact of being hit with something very large.

I waited for what seemed like an eternity when I heard talking and laughing. _Laughing? What on earth is going on?_ I turned around fully now and saw Edward and a tall native looking woman walking toward me. My brow wrinkled and I put my hands on my hips.

"Bella this is an old family friend. Her name is Zafrina." I continued to look at the two approaching me.

I was about to shake her hand when I noticed her ruby red eyes. I gasped and took a step backward, of course tripping on my suitcase and landing square on my backside in a puddle of mud.

"She doesn't know then, does she Edward?" He looked over and shook his head. "Well, just know that there have been several new scents in the area. I haven't come across anyone else, so I don't know who they are or what they want in these parts. Good luck!" With that, the tall amazonian woman gracefully darted off back into the depths of the jungle.

My mind was reeling as I tried to process the information that was being hurled at me. Before I knew it, Edward's chilly hand was wrapped around my forearm and pulling me up out of the mud. I quickly retracted from his touch and looked up at him again. His eyes weren't black anymore but they weren't the same light amber that they were before.

"How is it that you have an old family friend in the middle of the jungle Edward? And why were her eyes red? And what don't I know? Please tell me what do I not know? And why do your eyes keep changing color? And why is your skin so cold?" I was in near hysterics by this point.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He picked up my suitcase and started walking again.

"Edward!" Nothing. He just kept on walking, big jerk. "EDWARD!" I stomped my foot down in a very childish display of temper, which was probably not a good choice. The mud splattered all over me and as hard as I was trying to be serious, it was hard to do that when _he _started laughing at me.

"Bella, let's get you out of the rain and I will try to answer some of your questions."

"Uuugggghhh!" I screamed. I was so frustrated. "Fine, let's go to the car. But I want answers to _all_ of my questions and I won't take no for an answer."

"I guess you'll just have to get used to disappointment," he mumbled, I'm sure not intending for me to hear. Besides, why should I have to get used to disappointment? Is he planning on lying to me? Not that I'd know if he was lying or not. I just need to make sense of this whole mess and Edward isn't being very helpful. _Question number one was why am I so drawn to this stupid, beautiful, handsome, bi-polar, jerk?_

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A/N: Translations 1 "Get off the bus!" 2 "Go go go" 3 "Start walking, you don't want to stay here." And now I would love to hear from ALL of you! Remember the goal for this chapter is 25 reviews! Show me the love!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, almost 25..just 2 shy. Thanks for all the love! So yes the eyes in Alice's vision were Zafrina's. Now lets just get to the good stuff.**

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Chapter 5

**Iquitos, Peru**

Angela and Ben were curled up in their respective corners of the abandoned building. James was prowling impatiently between them. When Angela's phone began to ring, James picked it up and answered. The only thing he could make out, even with his vampire hearing, was _I'm...Peru..what..do now. _The line went dead and a string of profanities issued like a hiss from his mouth.

"Does your friend care about you?" He screamed at Angela. She cringed back and nodded silently. "You'd better hope she can follow simple directions, or I'm not so sure how things will end up for you. I might get impatient and need a snack." His menacing sneer only solidifying Angela's suspicions.

James flipped open his own cell phone and spoke in hurried tones, "Vic, she's here in Peru, and she better have gotten on the bus to Santa Teresa. Where are you?"

"I'm almost through Panama."

"Go to the end of the bus route to Santa Teresa and grab the girl. Bring her back here. I'd like for her _friends_," he sneered, "to see what happens to those who cross me."

"With pleasure my sweet." Victoria hung up and continued in haste to her destination.

**Jungle of Peru**

**EPOV**

"_I guess you'll just have to get used to disappointment."_ I shook my head and trudged along the muddy road carrying her suitcase. I could hear Bella fuming behind me and had to chuckle a bit to myself. She was so headstrong, with no sense of self preservation. I was trying to walk at a human pace but she was still having trouble keeping up with me.

I may not have been able to read her mind, but I could still read her body language. It was obvious she was frustrated and tired. I guess I could understand that, though I haven't been tired for nearly a century.

We made it to the little jalopy I had stolen to get as far as I did and not expose myself. I opened the door and tossed her suitcase in and was about to round the front to open her door, but she beat me to it. She wrenched open the door and plopped herself down in the seat. I got in on the driver side and realized that this may have been a mistake to lock myself in this tiny car with a human who's blood called to me like no other. Her fragrant aroma was already filling the space.

I took a small test breath and knew I'd made a bad choice. The warm jungle rain only intensified her scent and I was reeling again. I closed my eyes and rested my head back trying to will the enticing smells away from me. Bella huffed and I looked over in her direction. She was staring pointedly at me and I knew I needed to get her talking. I needed a distraction or else I would forever regret my actions.

"So Bella, what are you doing up here in the jungle?"

She fidgeted with her messenger bag and then began twisting her fingers. She wouldn't look me in the eye anymore and I had a strong feeling I wasn't going to get the whole truth from her.

"Look Bella, I know you have questions for me, so how about I ask one and then you ask one okay?"

"Fine. I already said I was coming to visit my friend."

"What's her na..." She cut me off with a wag of her index finger.

"Uh un. I answered your question, now it's my turn. Why...why is your skin so cold?" She nearly whispered.

"I uh, have poor circulation. I always feel cold." She narrowed her eyes and looked at me skeptically. It's as if she knew I was lying to her.

"So what is your friends name?"

"Angela." She replied quietly.

"Wait. She works for the Peace Corps right?" She just nodded. "The people at the camp were talking about her and another guy, Ben, when we were getting settled. Apparently they've disappeared." I waited for her to show an appropriate reaction to finding out that her friend was missing, but she just grew more and more nervous.

"You already know she's missing, and probably why." I stated it rather than asked it. I just had a feeling she knew way more than she was letting on. Sure enough, she nodded her head and turned to look at me with the saddest most frightened eyes I've ever seen.

"Bella, if you tell me what's going on, I can probably help." She shook her head violently from side to side.

"No, if I tell anyone, they'll kill her, they'll kill them both, I'm sure of it."

"Bella, please let me help. My family is pretty well connected, and we aren't lacking for funds, I'm sure we can figure something out."

While the thirst still burned in my throat, it was becoming secondary to the other feelings I was experiencing for this woman. I was compelled to help her, to protect her. I needed to help her feel safe, and the thought of her in danger or injured, made my stomach twist in knots. What was this compulsive need to keep her safe? Why did the thought of being with out her make me feel ill? Is this what my siblings felt towards each other? Could this be more than just friendly concern? How absurd was that?

"Um, Edward?" She poked me in the shoulder and brought me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a moment. So will you let me help you?"

"I just don't want you to get into any trouble. I have no idea who I'm dealing with, but from what I've gathered the one time I spoke to the man, he's ruthless."

"I'm more worried about you Bella. I just....I can't stand the thought..." I couldn't finish my sentence I just brought one finger up to her cheek. Hesitating, I brushed the wet strands of hair from her cheek and ran my finger along her jaw line. Even as she shivered from my cold touch, I felt that hum of electricity flow from her skin to mine and was completely fascinated. I watched as her cheeks flushed with red and her eyes drifted shut. Beautiful.

"So tell me why is this person holding your friends hostage?" Her eyes snapped open and the previous smile that lit up her face was erased completely. She clutched her bag tighter to her chest and seemed to be having a major internal struggle. She kept stealing glances at me and then outside the car. It seemed forever that we sat there listening to the rain pound on the car. The thunder and lightning had passed by so the storm would probably be letting up soon.

"Angela found something in the jungle when she was on her way to a remote village. It was a crystal of some sort. There was also an ancient parchment that was with it. She and Ben hid the crystal and sent a map to where it was hidden, and the parchment to me."

"Why did they send the parchment to you?"

"I have a graduate degree in ancient languages and literature." She just shrugged like it was no big deal, but that was a pretty major accomplishment for someone so young. How old was she anyway?

"Bella, if I may, how old are you?" Again with that tempting, delicious blush.

"I'm 21."

"How did you finish a masters by 21? That's quite impressive."

"I was kind of a nerd, I just loved language and literature. I always had my nose in a book. So when my mom remarried, I decided just to finish highschool early, I was 16 when I graduated. Then worked a double load of college credits to finish my bachelors when I was 19 and received my masters a few months ago."

"Wow." I know it was a lame response, but I was astounded by her drive and how obviously intelligent she was.

"So back to your question, they sent the parchment to me hoping that I could translate it."

"And were you able to?"

"I think I got most of it right. It was in some ancient mix of Italian and Latin."

"Would you mind if I looked at it?" She hesitated for just a moment and then pulled out a notebook and the two documents from her bag. Thank goodness her bag was weather resistant. She passed them over to me and I immediately scanned the map and committed it to memory.

The text took me a little by surprise though. It was most definitely ancient and as she expertly assessed, was written in a mix of old Italian and Latin. I scanned over the yellowed parchment and grew more and more uneasy. I read the ancient legend and understood what this meant for me, and for my family. And I then knew it was no ordinary human that was after Bella. The only being that could've taken this away from it's home was another vampire.

I quickly opened the notebook and saw that she had translated most of if correctly but she hadn't gotten to the crucial part of the legend. The part that spoke of the blood of the three brothers being bound into a crystal that would allow them to live unhindered forever. It was this crystal, the last remnant of their human selves, that allowed the Volturi to remain so sedentary and ensconced in Volterra and not atrophy into stone. Without it they would surely _die_ in a matter of speaking, which would throw the entire government of our secret world into chaos.

The Volturi were not the only power hungry vampires in this world. If the one who stole the crystal truly knows the power it contains, they would do anything to regain it. I couldn't tell exactly what the crystal would do for another vampire other than the three ancients, but I didn't want to find out here, and certainly nowhere near Bella.

"Can you understand what the paper says?" Bella asked casually. It had only taken me a few seconds to take in the whole of the text thanks to my enhanced senses.

"Yeah, actually I can. I'm fluent in both Italian and Latin." She quirked an eyebrow at me and I tried to play the sheepish card, "private school," I responded.

"So is my translation pretty accurate?"

"Yes, as far as I can tell it is. Bella," I hesitated, "I don't think you understand the importance of that crystal or this parchment. My father spoke of this legend once before and to know that it's true is really kind of scary. We need to find this crystal and get it back to my father. He'll know what to do with it."

"Um, NO! We need to find the guy who has my friends and give this stuff to him so he doesn't kill them."

"Bella, I can protect you and your friends from him, especially if we have the crystal. I have a pretty strong feeling that the guy holding your friends, stole that crystal from it's rightful owners."

"It's stopped raining." She glanced out the window. I handed her the papers and notebook and she stuffed them into her bag.

"So it has." I raked my fingers through my hair, I needed to get some fresh air. I was burning up from the inside out. I opened the door and stepped out of the car. She climbed out as well and just stood there with her forehead all wrinkled up. I looked down and watched the rivulets of water washing down the dirt road and over the edge of the hill we were on.

"So are you saying you want to find this crystal before we try and help Angela?"

"I think we'll be in a better position to bargain if we have it. What? Are you afraid of a little treasure hunting? Scared of a little adventure?"

"Look, I'm sure you mean well and all that, but I don't think you know who you're talking to. I have my groceries delivered. I buy anything else I need online. I order pizza online for goodness sakes. I am not an adventure type person, in fact I think I need another pi....AAHHHHHHHHH!"

I watched in horror as the ground underneath her feet disintegrated and she began sliding down the hill. Her arms flew up over her head and she was sucked down in a gush of mud and water.

"Crap." There was only one thing I could do and she was way to perceptive to miss it. I leapt over the edge and started chasing after her at top speed. She was being bounced and thrashed about as she continued to slide down the side of the steep hill. At one point the strap of her bag snagged on a tree branch and ripped off.

I quickly snatched up the bag tied a knot in the strap and threw it over my shoulder and continued weaving through the trees keeping up with the gushing of the mud. I looked up further and began cursing when I saw the cliff that the muddy water was shooting off of. _Well, if I'm going to hell, I may as well do it thoroughly_, I thought to myself. I sprinted to the edge of the cliff, it was the only place I'd be able to grab a hold of Bella. I positioned myself just next to the flowing mud slide and grabbed hold of a dead tree branch. As she came down another drop she saw me and reached up.

I caught her in one arm but the speed at which she hit me knocked me off balance and we stumbled backward being carried off the cliff with the mud. I held on to her with one arm and scrambled with the other to grab hold of anything I could. I curled my fingers and could feel the stone of the mountainside being gouged away as we continued to slide.

Finally we slowed enough for me to get a foothold and I ran us back up the cliff face until we were back on the flat floor of the jungle. I sat her down and pried her arms from around my neck. As she looked up at me her eyes grew wide. I then realized exactly what I had done and my own eyes I'm sure were bulging out of my head. I collapsed on to the ground and pulled my head into my hands and blew out a huge sigh of both relief and frustration.

**Peace Corps Base Camp, Iquitos Peru**

**Alice POV**

Edward had only been gone for a few hours, I hoped he got to Bella in time. She was such a sweet girl, I knew she would mean something special to Edward almost as soon as I saw her. Now he just had to realize that himself. He could be so thick sometimes.

I was still unpacking some things when I had another vision. I stilled and saw a mudslide, and Edward carrying Bella up the side of sheer cliff. I saw her incredulous reaction and Edward's fearful realization. He was going to have to answer her truthfully. The vision then changed to one of Bella and Edward snuggled up together in our Denali home. Bella had red eyes.

I felt the firm hands of Jasper on either side of my shoulders and slowly came out of my trance-like state.

"What was it Alice, what did you see?" He looked on me with amusement, he probably felt my elation that Edward saved Bella and that she would be part of our family.

"We need to get everyone together. I have some news." Jasper nodded and had everyone else assembled in a matter of minutes.

"Alice, what is it? Is it Edward? Has something happened?" Esme was a bit frantic but then Carlisle looked just as concerned.

"Well, it is about Edward, but not entirely bad."

"Is he gonna score with the Bella chick?" Emmett asked, wagging his eyebrows up and down. Rosalie frowned and gave him a sharp smack on the back of his head.

"Not exactly. Edward decided to play hero and saved Bella, quite dramatically, from falling off a cliff in a mudslide. She's already got questions, but now she knows we're different. He's going to tell her the truth."

"Well that's just GREAT!" Hissed Rosalie. "Who does he think he is? This is not just HIS secret to keep. What if this girl blabs all about what we are?"

"She won't Rose. After the vision of Edward saving her, I got another one, of her an Edward at our Alaska house. She had red eyes, she was a vampire."

Esme began to bounce on the balls of her feet nearly squealing, mimicking my own excitement. Rosalie just rolled her eyes and Emmett and Jasper pounded their fists together.

"Eddie's finally gonna get him a woman," grinned Emmett.

"Thank goodness, maybe it will improve his mood a bit. I can't take much more of his angsty woe is me garbage." Jasper was affected the most by Edward's temperment.

I felt my eyes roll back and another vision came in to view. After a few moments, I came back to the real world and grinned. "They are in for quite the adventure. They may need a bit of help. Jasper, Emmett, you need to go find them. I'll keep an eye out for any changes."

"Here, take the satellite phone, you won't have any cell service in the jungle." Carlisle handed them the SAT phone and they packed a few things in a back pack. I gave them a few last minute directions to Edward and Bella's approximate location and they took off.

"Have fun boys! Don't worry, we'll cover for you here."

I shook my head and laughed. They were certainly going to be in for an adventure.

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**A/N: You all know what to do! Hope a few questions were answered, and few more were raised...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks again to all who reviewed! I'm going to post tonight, but know that this hasn't been checked over by my beta, it was too late when I finished it and I wanted to get it up.**

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Chapter 6

**The Peruvian Jungle**

**BPOV**

_What just happened?_ I looked up to see Edward backing away from me and slump down on the ground. He caught my eyes and several emotions flickered across his face before he buried it into his hands. _At least we're not dead._

Death would've been a rather inconvenient outcome at this point. Angela still needed me, and I was now on some ridiculous treasure hunt with 'Indiana Cullen'. _What have I gotten myself into?_

I cleared my throat and waited for Edward to acknowledge me. When he looked up, his eyes looked weary, his shoulders were slumped and his whole comportment screamed resignation.

"Can you please explain what just happened? And please spare me any BS about adrenaline rushes." I folded my arms across my chest and waited for his answer.

"Do you really want the truth? Because I'm not sure you do." I rolled my eyes and looked directly at his. They seemed a bit darker than before and I wondered why. No one I knew had eyes that changed color so rapidly and frequently.

I nodded my head indicating that I indeed wanted the truth. He looked down at his hands and then back up at me, seeming to brace for some expected reaction, to what I had yet to find out.

"I'm a vampire." He looked expectantly at me but all I could do was stare at him. My brain was working double time to try and process what he'd just told me and the absurdity of such a confession swiftly overtook my thoughts. I burst out laughing which seemed to only frustrate my rescuer.

"Like 'I vant to suck your blood'?" I joked in my best Transylvanian accent. Edward moved forward and bared his teeth to me and whispered seriously, "yes Bella, exactly like that. And you more than anyone else I've come across. Don't think you aren't in serious danger being near me."

For the first time I began to feel a bit of uncertainty, fear even. I scooted myself backward and pressed against the trunk of a large tree. He mumbled something about 'self-preservation' under his breath and moved to the other side of the clearing we were sitting in. Again, he looked at me expectantly and his gaze was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable.

"What? Why do you keep looking at me like that? Like I'm going to jump up and run screaming into the jungle?"

"Because Bella! That's exactly what you should do! Although running and fear tend to make your blood even sweeter than just sitting there."

"So is that why your skin is so cold?"

"Yes, it's also thanks to the monster that I am that I was able to save you from falling to certain death." He scowled and looked away from me. He began running his fingers through his hair and I couldn't help but wonder, still, if he was telling me the truth. Not that it mattered really, I mean he hadn't done anything to me yet, and I didn't think he would.

He looked up and shook his head. "You really don't get it Isabella, do you? You have no idea how dangerous I am to you." He got up and in the blink of an eye he was right next to me. I gasped in surprise and just as quick he was gone again. This time, he appeared next to a younger tree. He ripped it out of the ground and broke it in half over his knee.

"With out even trying, Bella, I could break your bones, snap your neck, and you wouldn't even have time to think about it."

"But you wouldn't. I know you wouldn't." I was trying to downplay the severity of what he was explaining to me.

"If I stopped thinking about restraining my strength for just one second, you'd be dead."

"Edward, I can tell there is something about you, something inherently good. You won't hurt me. You haven't yet, why? If I'm so tempting to you why haven't you...you know?"

I was squirming a bit under his intense gaze, and at the insanity of my question. _Hi, so why haven't you eaten me for dinner yet? _I shook my head and looked up at him, waiting for an answer.

He sighed and sat back down across from me. "I don't want to be a monster Bella. I don't want to hurt you. Like I said in the car, there's just something about you that draws me to you, and it's not just how delicious you smell." I caught a bit of a smirk at his last statement.

"My family and I have chosen to shun the 'traditional' vampiric diet in favor of sustaining ourselves on the blood of animals.

"Why?" I blurted out. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Am I inviting him to take a bite? Have a drink? _

"Animal blood sustains us, it's not as satisfying as the alternative, but it keeps our consciences relatively clear. I didn't choose this life, but I did make a choice to try and hold on to what little bit of my humanity still remains."

I nodded in understanding. It really did make a lot of sense after all. Edward continued with his own thoughts. "I did live apart from my family for a time. I decided I could do some good by ridding the world of evil people while having a nice meal at the same time. I would listen to their intentions, to the evil thoughts they had and decided I could play Judge, Jury and Executioner. It was foolish, because after a time, hearing even the desperate thoughts of criminals as they were about to die weighed heavily on me. I couldn't stand myself anymore, so I returned to my family and resumed our 'vegetarian' lifestyle."

I tried to listen to what he was saying but what caught my attention was his mention of hearing peoples thoughts. If he had heard all of my internal monologuing I would surely die of complete mortification.

"So you can read minds?" I squeaked. He nodded and I could feel the blood pooling in my cheeks. "Can all vampires read minds?" He shook his head no, "I'm just special like that. My sister Alice can see into the future, though it's not set in stone, and Jasper, he picks up on and can manipulate emotions." I relaxed some, but I still had to know for sure if he'd read my mind.

"And you haven't been snooping around in my thoughts?" I closed my eyes and cringed a bit.

He let out a boisterous laugh and said, "Bella, that's one of the reasons you are still alive."

"Huh?" I must have sounded like a complete idiot.

"When I try to listen to your thoughts, I hear nothing. Absolute silence. Which for me, is really quite refreshing. However it drives me crazy at the same time."

I nodded, a bit dumbly, everything was still sinking in. At least he couldn't hear my ridiculous thoughts on his perfectness and how he made me feel all gooey inside.

"Bella, I will admit, had we not been on an airplane full of people, and had my family not been around, I would probably have red eyes right now. That's what happens to us when we drink from humans. That's why Zafrina's eyes were red. Because I drink from animals, my eyes are generally a golden topaz color."

I sat there and pondered all of the questions that were swirling around in my muddled head. But the one I was most curious about now was if he felt that same electricity when his skin made contact with mine.

"So do you feel it too? When we touch?"

I looked up to see him smile as he nodded. That made a small smile curve up on my lips as well as a fresh pooling of blood in my cheeks. He took a short gulp of air as he reached up to my cheek. My brain was telling me to run, but deeper instincts told me to hold still. He brushed his fingers over the apple of my cheek and muttered, "beautiful."

He glanced up, his fingers still on my cheek, and took another deep breath. "Bella, don't move okay?" I nodded once and tried to stay very still but my heart was thumping like crazy. He leaned in closer and for a brief moment I thought he might kiss me. If it was possible, my heart began beating even faster. "Bella, calm down, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," he whispered.

"No, you're the one who's going to give me a heart attack." He chuckled and then moved to the side of my face. I could feel the cold of his cheek radiating on to mine and I fought the urge to shiver. He stroked his fingers through my hair all the while taking deep lung filling breaths.

"It's getting easier and easier. My throat doesn't burn nearly as bad as before." He pulled back and sat down across from me with his legs crossed underneath.

"So now what do we do?" I was unclear as to where this left us, our treasure hunt, my need to help Angela, everything really.

"Well, there is a bit of a wrinkle now. The number one rule of our kind is NEVER reveal yourself to a human. By doing this I've not only put you in grave danger, but myself and my family as well."

"Oh. Well, I was already in grave danger before, but I am sorry about your family. I guess you could say I attract trouble wherever I go."

"Of that, I have no doubt."

"If it helps any, I swear I won't tell a soul."

"Somehow, I knew that you would say that, and before you ask, NO I still cannot read your mind." He threw me a playful smile and I rolled my eyes.

"There's still more I need to tell you about that legend you have..."

"Had." I corrected, "I lost my bag coming down the mud slide." He jumped up and went towards the place he was first sitting. He picked up my muddied bag and said, "you mean this bag?"

I stood up and grabbed for it but he jerked it just out of my reach. "I think I should be in charge of this for now don't you?" I folded my arms and huffed out a disgruntled, "fine."

"Now about this legend. It talks of three men who made a pact with..." Edwards eyes snapped up and he took a very protective stance around me. He began looking in a certain direction and I could hear a faint growl coming from his chest. "Stay out of the way Bella."

He crouched and took two steps and leapt into the trees. I gasped as I saw his body collide with another pale figure. This one was a woman, but not the dark haired amazon woman he was with before. This woman was shorter and had blazing red hair. She was the one in my apartment.

I came to the sick realization that it was no ordinary human that held my friends captive. It was a vampire. I was in a great deal more trouble than I thought, and I would need to have Edward by my side if there was any hope of saving my best friend. I was torn from my thoughts as I heard the loud crack of a tree being broken in half. Edward was circling the woman but he kept just missing her.

He lunged forward and nearly had her when she abruptly turned and ran faster than I'd ever seen anything move. Just then two more figures burst through the trees and ran towards Edward.

_Not again, who's after him now? _I watched horror struck as the two new figures crashed into Edward sending him flying backward and they began wrestling. One seemed to pin Edward to the ground, then Edward would spin him over and best him. This went on and seemed to get more and more jovial, and I for one, had had enough fighting already.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat as loudly as I could, trying to get Edward's attention. He looked up at me and grinned. He threw his arms around the two other men and began moving towards me. I pressed up further against the tree I was next to and eyed the three warily.

"Bella, it's okay, these are my brothers, Jasper and Emmett." Jasper nodded and Emmett, picked me up in a giant stony bear hug. "Emmett, put her down, she needs to breathe." The huge man set me down and I just looked at them.

"What are you guys doing up here," asked Edward.

"Alice said you might need our help, so here we are."

"I could've handled her. She wasn't going to get away. Did Alice see something?"

"You could say that," replied Jasper, "I don't think that woman, was the only thing she saw, I think she meant for us to stick with you guys until whatever you're planning is through."

"Well, then I guess we better get you filled in on what's been going on."

I felt like I was watching a tennis match as the two bantered back and forth. It was starting to get dark and my exhaustion was catching up to me. I needed to rest.

"So do you think we could find the human someplace to lay down for a bit?" I let out a huge yawn and gave one arm a stretch.

Edward laughed and Jasper mentioned a cave not far from where we were since it smelled like it was going to rain again. At least that's what Edward said. I wasn't going to argue.

"Lead the way Jasper," said Edward. He picked up my messenger bag and I followed Edward and Jasper, while Emmett followed me. Because of the decreasing light and the uneven terrain, my toe caught a root and I pitched forward. Edward reacted immediately and caught me before I could go down. I heard a roar of laughter behind me and could feel the embarrassed blush rushing to my face.

"Shut up Emmett," Edward barked.

"Bella, that was awesome, your arms were like totally spread eagle and I swear it would've been a 5 star crash and burn had Edward not caught you."

"Thanks Emmett, glad I could keep you entertained. _Stupid sure-footed vampires._" I tried to mutter the last bit under my breath but I guess they all heard me because now they were all hooting and hollering.

"I like her Eddie, you should keep her around." I'm not sure what it was about that comment, but Edward immediately stiffened and growled at Emmett.

"Don't even go there Emmett," warned Edward.

"What? You don't want me around?" I was a bit surprised by Edward's reaction, we seemed to be getting along pretty well, at least I thought so. But why would he go to all the trouble of saving me if he didn't want me around?

"Bella, of course I want you around, Emmett happens to be incapable of censoring his thoughts."

"Oh. Okay." I still wasn't totally convinced of his response, but I didn't feel like I should press the issue.

"So Jasper, how far is this cave?" I wasn't sure how much farther I could walk.

"Oh another 12 miles or so in that direction." He pointed toward where the cave was supposed to be and I groaned.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but I can't walk 12 miles. I think I'm already getting blisters." My whole body was screaming at me to just sit down and crawl up under a big fern or something.

"Bella, how about I show you how I like to travel?" Edward moved to my side and once again brushed his finger across my cheek. I closed my eyes involuntarily and sighed.

"And exactly how is that?" Without further explanation, he grabbed my arm and pulled me onto his back while simultaneously starting to run. Instinct took over and I wrapped my legs around his waist and squeezed his neck tighter than I had ever held on to anything before.

He was running as fast as a bullet train and I was starting to feel sick. "Ed...ward. I...think...uuughh. I'm...gonna...be...sick..."

"Were almost there love, don't get sick yet." Sure enough not ten seconds later we were slowing down in front of a shallow cave. It had taken us less than 3 minutes to go 12 miles. I felt like I was frozen to Edwards back. My stomach was roiling and I knew if I didn't get off of him soon, he would have puke all over him.

"Edward, I can't...I need some help." He gingerly unwrapped my hands from his neck but my legs didn't have quite the hold that they did before and I slid down his legs and landed with an unceremonious thump on my back side. Once again Emmett thought that was the funniest thing on the planet and began guffawing.

I simply crawled away and began heaving in the bushes. I felt a cold hand on my forehead and could feel that my hair was being held away from my face. I relished those feelings for a few minutes and then turned to sit down.

"Thank you."

Edward shrugged, "it was no big deal. It's probably my fault, I should've told you to close your eyes. I'll remind you next time."

"Next time. Ha! I think I'd rather take my chances walking. I'd rather not end up wrapped around a tree because of a minor miscalculation."

"I am an excellent driver. I've never hit a tree once."

"Uh huh, whatever, I think I'd still rather walk."

Edward rolled his eyes at me and helped me to my feet. I'm glad he was there though, because I was still quite unsteady. He helped me over to the cave and the three men began gathering soft ferns and other things I could use to lay down on.

"Jasper and I need to go hunting. It's better if we stay full while we're around you. We won't be gone long, and Emmett will stay here with you okay?"

"So I can't come with and watch you?" Edward's eyes turned a murderous black and his hands began shaking violently.

"Absolutely not. Out of the question." He turned on his heel and stormed away, Jasper sent an apologetic glance back in my direction and followed after Edward.

I sat there a bit dumbfounded when I heard Emmett pipe up. "Don't worry about him Bella he can be a bit _moody_, if you will. But he's right. When we hunt, we kind of give up our rational thought and let instinct take over. If you smell as good to him as he says, and you were anywhere close by while he was hunting, it would be a very very bad thing." He then threw me a warm smile and asked if there was anything I needed.

"A fire would be nice, it's getting kind of cold." Emmett set to work making me a small fire. I sat there warming my still damp self near the fire when a thought occurred to me.

"Emmett? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, squirt, what is it?"

"How does one become a vampire?"

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A/N: Ooooh what is going on in Bella's head???? So I wanted to get back in touch with the Volturi and James, but Bella and Edward got real chatty, so we'll catch up with the others in the next chapter.

**My husband thought I should have Edward reveal himself like he did in the movie and make Bella "Say it. Say it out loud." But I just couldn't do that. **

**I also had to refrain from using the "hold on tight spider monkey". That was even more cheesy than "Nobody puts Baby in a corner".**

**Now take 30 seconds, click REVIEW and tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello lovely readers. Sorry there have been some longer stretches between posts, know that I do write chapter by chapter, I don't stock pile what I've written, so when life gets busy, writing gets pushed down the priority ladder. This weekend was just really busy.**

**I have 1 month until my 3 boys get their new baby sister, so I'm going to try and get the bulk of this story done before that happens.**

**On a different note, in addition to the twilightawards (link is on my profile if you want to nominate either of my stories), there are some other awards going on–the EDDIE's and BELLIE's. The link for those awards is also on my profile, so if you want to nominate any story for that head on over there. They're accepting nominations until Jan 25****th****.**

**And now on to the story!**

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Chapter 7**

**Volterra, Italy**

Aro stiffly paced in front of his throne. His movements were becoming more and more restricted. Without the crystal, the changes were occurring rapidly. Marcus could no longer stand, though he still had use of his arms. Caius was in about the same state as Aro, still able to move but just barely. If the crystal was not returned to them they would slowly turn into stone.

"Jane," the old master called, "I need you to return to Peru, you must try and track down the location of the crystal. Take Felix and go with haste."

The diminutive woman-child nodded solemnly and turned quickly out of the throne room. The two guards donned their heavy gray cloaks and made their way to the private air strip.

**Iquitos, Peru**

Victoria raced through the jungle realizing how narrowly she escaped the male vampire that was protecting the pitiful human girl.

She waited until cover of night to race through the city streets, stopping only for a quick drink from a man passed out in an alley way. Having sated her thirst she continued on to the old shack to report back to James. He would most certainly be in a foul mood.

As she crept into the darkened building she could hear the two steady heartbeats and even breathing of their human captives. She couldn't understand why James insisted they keep them both alive. When she turned the corner, she was intercepted by her blond haired mate.

"What of the girl?" He hissed.

"There is a problem."

"This is not the news I wanted to hear. Must I do everything myself?"

"There's nothing you could've done to prevent this issue. She has company."

"And why should that be a problem? Are you that inept that you can't handle a few extra?"

Her eyes flashed ruby red and she leaned in toward James' neck preparing to bite. Something that would've been painful, but certainly not deadly to him.

"Her company consists of three male vampires. No one I have ever come across, and all very strong."

"And how is it that they haven't drained her yet?"

"That is the curious thing. One of them made to attack me when I got too close."

"Perhaps he was protecting his meal, it's not as though you've never taken me down when feeding." He smirked.

"No, it wasn't like that, he was protecting her like she actually meant something to him, if that's even possible."

James blew out an exasperated breath. This greatly complicated things. He would need to take these others out.

"I'll have to call Laurent to come and baby sit our captives. I need to hunt these others down and get rid of them."

"There's one other strange thing I noticed. Their eyes-they were golden; all three of them."

"Animal drinkers? No wonder they haven't taken a bite yet."

James pulled his cell phone out and nearly broke the small device as he furiously dialed Laurent. Their brief conversation ended with a sharp snap of the phone closing. James turned to Victoria and said, "I'm going to eat, I'll be back shortly." Victoria nodded and watched as he slipped silently out into the dark night.

**Peruvian Jungle**

**EPOV**

It was late when Jasper and I returned from our hunt. The fury that I had felt when the she-vampire got away from me had lessened some. However, I was even more on edge now, having heard her vicious thoughts about Bella. I berated myself for losing my concentration for that split second when Jasper and Emmett arrived. Had I been focused, I could've ended her completely.

I looked over at Emmett who was trying to guard his thoughts by reciting baseball statistics from 1985. I narrowed my eyes in his direction and he half shrugged at me. I leaned into the entrance of the cave checking to see that Bella was in fact asleep. Her even breathing and steady heart beat told me she was. So I returned to my brothers.

"Did you guys have a good hunt?" Emmett asked casually.

"It was fine Em, what's going on?"

"What? I think I may go get me a little grub too. Anything good around here?"

"Not so fast Emmett, what's with the stats recap for Cal Ripken Jr.?"

"Nothing dude. Don't worry about it."

"If it's nothing then why are you hiding things from me? Is something going on with Bella?" I was trying and quickly failing to keep my tone even and quiet. Bella was exhausted and I didn't want to wake her up.

"She was just asking some questions about _us_."

"Us as in the Cullens, or us as in vampires?"

_Us as in vampires_. He thought and then ducked his head.

"What did she ask?" I was practically seething now. The last thing I wanted was to get her more involved in our world than she needed to be. But for some reason I couldn't stop that from happening. Every minute she remained with us she was falling deeper and deeper into our world.

_Just stuff, like my favorite animal to hunt, and about all the stupid myths that surround our kind. You know like burning up in the sun and coffins and all that. _

I could tell there was more. He was still holding out so I motioned my hand for him to keep going.

_Andhowapersoncouldbechangedintoavampire. _He cringed away and squinted one eye shut bracing himself for the impact that should've knocked him into next year.

I ran 200 yards away and found a basketball sized rock and crushed it between my hands. What is wrong with this woman. She has absolutely no sense of what is safe and what is dangerous. How can I hope to keep her safe if she doesn't help me? Never mind that her physical being is in constant danger around us, but her very soul is at risk. I'm sure Emmett didn't explain that part to her. I couldn't even entertain the thought of damning her soul, she was too much of an angel.

I heard Emmett chuckling and sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose. As I came up to where he and Jasper were sitting, I could feel the waves of calm wash over me and tried to look thankful.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Bella was talking in her sleep. Something about not letting the giant cookie catch her. Edward, she's hilarious," Emmett whispered.

I moved a bit closer to the edge of the cave. Bella rolled over and I could see the creases in her forehead. I guess she was pretty worried about this giant cookie, so I crouched next to her and brushed some of the mud caked hair away from her face. Her face immediately relaxed and she seemed even more peaceful.

"Hey, Edward we're going to call the girls, so uh, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Emmett winked at me as he pulled the SAT phone from his bag.

Jasper passed me patting my shoulder, "I'm not sure what exactly she's dreaming about, but lets just say, she's putting off some very sensual vibes."

I looked up at him trying to figure out exactly what he meant while he just snickered and ran off after Emmett. I sat back down a little closer to Bella and soaked in every feature of her face. I stroked the outline of her jaw with the tip of my finger loving the warmth that radiated from her.

"Mmmmm, Edward..."

I pulled my hand back hoping I hadn't woken her. Did she just say my name in her sleep? Was she dreaming of me? Any annoyance I had earlier melted away with that one small utterance. I pondered those thoughts. What did it mean if she was having dreams about me? I moved back over to the dying fire and waited for my brothers. I'm sure I had a goofy grin plastered on my face as they walked back towards the camp.

"Edward, you've got it bad," said Jasper taking in my current emotional state. "But then, so does she I think."

I looked at him wide eyed and tried to shake off the euphoria I was feeling. Yes I was intrigued by her, fascinated even. But why did her saying my name send me into such a state. I felt like the 17 year old boy I should be.

"Whatever, it's just our proximity and the direness of this situation. People get infatuated about their protectors all the time, kind of like friendly Stockholm syndrome or something." I was trying to downplay what I was feeling, but I don't think they were buying it.

"Keep telling yourself that bro," chuckled Emmett as he got up to go hunt for himself. Jasper went with him just for safety sake and I was once again alone with Bella.

I turned to look at her more closely and I was transfixed. She was lovely when she slept. Even though she was smudged with dirt and there clumps of mud in her hair, the way her features demonstrated each emotion she was feeling in her dreams captured me. At one point she started to frown and her lips turned out into the cutest pout.

_How I would love to taste those luscious lips._ Where did that thought come from? Oh, from my lusty teenage alter ego. I shook my head trying to clear these thoughts. It would be ludicrous for me to even try. I was uncertain whether I could control my desire to sink my teeth into her flesh. To taste not only her lips but the blood that ran through them as well.

The sun was beginning to rise and I could hear Bella's heart rate starting to pick up. I took it upon myself to re-light the fire, figuring she'd probably be a bit chilly. She rolled over and let out a soft mewl as she grunted and stretched her arms high above her head. I couldn't stop the hormone driven youth inside of me from ogling the strip of pale flesh that peeked out from in between her shirt and her pants.

Of course she caught me staring and began to blush furiously. I probably would've done the same had there been any blood left coursing through my veins. I quickly dropped my head in shame and turned my back towards her. I could hear her getting up and stretching again letting out a groan as her back popped a few times.

"I think I'd like some fancier accommodations next time we stop."

"Not so comfortable sleeping on the ground huh?"

She threw me a glare and cocked an eyebrow, "do I look like the camping type to you?"

I shook my head. "Fair enough."

"So what did you do last night?"

"Oh not much. We hunted til late, chatted some with Emmett, then he and Jasper went out again to hunt. They'll probably be back soon."

"Oh, well that sounds good." She dug around in her bag and pulled out a granola bar and began to nibble at it. She cast her eyes down and seemed to be assessing her state of dishevelment. "Ummm, Edward?"

"Yes Bella?"

"Well, do you think there are any ponds or streams anywhere close by that I can maybe clean off a little bit? I feel really really gross right now."

I chuckled and nodded, "I think I passed a waterfall not to far away from here. It'll probably be a little chilly this early in the morning, but I think it'll serve your purposes."

"Okay, how far?"

I reached out my hand to help her up. She eyed me cautiously and stood up slowly. In one swift motion I had her pulled up onto my back and she screamed, "oh no you don't! Put me down Edward!" I was already off and running and reminded her to close her eyes. Immediately I felt her bury her face into my shoulder as we neared the waterfall I had passed during my hunt.

It was lush and peaceful. The falls weren't very tall, and the pool below them was a sparkling greenish blue. I spied some large parrots in the canopy above us, they had the most vivid shades of red, blue, and yellow plumage.

"Bella," I whispered, "you can open your eyes now, we're here."

She slowly loosened her grip on my neck and slid down landing softly on the bank of the pool. A quiet gasp broke the silence as she surveyed the scene before us. I pointed up to the parrot and again her eyes widened in amazement.

I would be happy watching her all day long, but we really did need to get a move on. We had a lot of ground to cover and I know she did not want to piggy back the whole time. And I, truthfully, did not want her to get sick on me.

"Well, I'll let you get cleaned up. The water isn't too deep, and I don't think there's anything dangerous in there either, so just enjoy yourself."

"Thank you Edward." She turned to unbutton her shirt but I was frozen, staring, like a perverted stalker. She looked over her shoulder and asked, "you're not going to watch me are you?"

I snapped out of it and shook my head. "No, sorry, I...uh...sorry. I'm turning around. I'll just be over here." _Idiot, now she really does think you're a perverted stalker._

I turned on my heel and moved over to a large formation of rocks and sank down leaning up against them. I could hear her scrubbing her clothes close to the edge of the pool and laying them over a rock to dry a bit. I had to chuckle as she stepped deeper into the water. She must've gotten up to her hips as she started chanting softly, "cold cold cold." Once she had acclimated, she swam further into the pool and my mind ran away with images of a naked Bella.

I tried to redirect my thoughts back to the quest we had embarked on. The woman who had come for Bella earlier would be bringing others back with her, we would need to get moving and find that stone quickly. I was pondering over the map in my mind when a thought occurred to me.

It had been about 10 minutes and I decided maybe I'd do something nice for her. I was going to take her wet clothes and run around with them at vampire speed to get them dry. I inched my way back to where she had laid them, trying to keep my back squarely to the waterfall. I reached down and picked up her shirt and pants, I decided to leave her underwear, I didn't want to completely creep her out.

I was about to start running when I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned ever so slightly and nearly passed out. There was Bella, standing directly under the falls, water cascading down her creamy white skin. The rush of the water blurred her most intimate features, but after decades of images from my family, and two medical degrees, I had a pretty good imagination.

I quickly turned away from my Venus and began to run. Unfortunately my head was also running in its own direction. She was beautiful, perfect, a goddess. How could I be so deluded to think that someone as perfect and wonderful as she was would ever want anything to do with me. I cast a glance around me and felt the garments in my hands. They were pretty much dry so I headed back to the falls. Bella was just coming up out of the pool scrubbing the mud from her hair.

She saw me coming and sunk a bit lower in the water so that only her head was showing. I saw the questioning look in her eyes and explained that I was just drying her clothes. A little 'o' of recognition grew on her lips and I said, "I'll just go back and wait here for you."

"I'm almost done. Thanks." I thought I could hear a bit of quaver to her voice and wondered what she might be nervous about. It truly was maddening to wonder what she was thinking all the time.

I heard her get out and dress quickly. "You can turn around, I'm decent now."

"Bella, you are much more than decent." Her clothes were still stained, but at least not terribly muddy anymore. But her face was clean, and radiant. She truly looked like an angel, a nervous angel though. She began twisting her fingers together and moved a few steps closer to me.

"So Emmett and I were talking last night."

"Mhmm, he mentioned that." She looked up a bit surprised, but tried to suppress it.

"Well, I was kind of curious about the sun thing." She looked up with hopeful but cautious eyes. I kept my gaze trained on hers, surely making her a bit uncomfortable, but I couldn't help but be drawn into her eyes.

"What about the sun thing?" I murmured softly getting closer and closer to her.

"Ummm, will you show me what happens?" I thought about that for a moment. What would she think when she saw me in the sun? Would she then run screaming away from me? Nothing about the way she reacted was normal, so no, she probably wouldn't run, but I was still nervous.

"It's a bizarre phenomenon. I don't want to frighten you." She looked up hopeful again.

"Emmett kind of explained, but I wanted to see it for myself." Of course she did.

"Fine then. Come with me, but when you see what kind of monster I truly am, don't say I didn't warn you." We walked a short distance up a path and found a small clearing where the morning sun was filtering through.

She walked in to the circular clearing and lifted her face to the rays of sunshine. _She is perfect._ I could see her smiling at the warmth and light and for a moment loathed the creature of darkness that I was. I hesitated for a bit longer in the shadows, just enjoying watching Bella. I would lock this memory away forever, so when the running and screaming started, I would have this one perfect moment to remember her by. She opened her eyes and beckoned me in.

I took off my shirt and her small gasp was not lost on me. I tried to hide my crooked smile, but did a poor job of it I think. She seemed to be enjoying the view but as I stepped into the sunlight and the photons scattered off of my skin the gasp was much more audible now.

"This is why we can't be seen in the sun. It's a bit distracting don't you think?"

"Edward," she whispered, "you're magnificent."

Bella was staring openly at my shining skin. I sat down and, as if she was a puppet that mimicked my every move, she sat down directly across from me. We sat cross legged with our knees nearly touching. I closed my eyes and tried not to think about the million questions I wanted to ask her. Not the least of which was 'what are you thinking'.

She tentatively touched my upturned palm and traced each one of my fingers, sending delicious warm waves of energy up through my arm. I let the delight show on my face with the smallest of smiles. Her feather light touches began to ascend my arm and tickle the inside of my elbow. The actions were innocent, but ignited such a fire and passion with in me, I was overcome. With each touch of her hand, I could feel an invisible silken thread tie me to her, slowly but surely capturing me in a dangerous net woven by her soft fingers.

"Bella," I mumbled, driven to complete distraction by her touches, "you have no idea how amazing that feels." She pulled her hand away and I opened my eyes wishing she hadn't stopped.

She cast her glance down into her lap and just stared. I could hear her heart beating rapidly, her breathing more shallow. If my dead heart still beat, it would've leapt out of my chest long ago. _Oh to taste those sweet red lips of hers._ The teenager inside was screaming at me to just lean in and do it. But the rational man, the man of no real experience, was more nervous than he'd ever been before in his life.

I lifted her chin softly and looked into her eyes. "Bella, I want to try something, but I need you to hold still." She nodded and licked her lips quickly. _Why did she have to do that? Does she not know how tempting she is?_

I closed my eyes and tried to strengthen my resolve to do her no harm. I gently took her hands in mine and looked at her again. Slowly I leaned forward and listened to her heart beat nearly flying. Her eyes were opened wide as she seemed to be drawn closer to me. Slowly her eyes closed and she lifted her chin up expectantly.

I could feel her sweet breath washing over me as I brushed my cheek next to hers. The warmth of her skin was tantalizing; I was nearly bursting with anticipation. I pulled back slightly and just barely brush my lips to hers. She drew in a sharp intake of breath and began leaning forward with eagerness. "Don't move, please," I murmured against her lips.

She stilled and I moved in closer needing more contact I dropped one of her hands and placed mine on her cheek. I pressed my lips to hers again gently, relishing the heat, and enjoying the soft pulsating of the blood in her lips. Strangely, the desire to taste her blood was a dull throb, easily ignored. The moment my lips touched hers, I was transported to my own personal heaven. The soft silken threads that had woven between us turned into hardened steel cables and I fell completely under her power.

Our mouths danced together in perfect harmony, the rhythm was slow and languid, everything was perfect until we both started giggling. I pulled away and she started laughing, as did I. I was dismayed, because I knew this was not the appropriate reaction for either of us to be having. It was then that I heard the cat calls coming from up the trail a little ways.

Emmett was whistling loudly with both fingers pressed to his lips, and Jasper was throwing off strong waves of giddiness. Bella's face flamed red with embarrassment as I jumped up and ran headlong into my brothers. Emmett just laughed as I collided with him.

"Way to go little bro."

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A/N: So there's the first kiss...hope it lived up to expectations...Let me know what you think! Your reviews are awesome! Oh and we'll hear about the rest of the fam's reaction thanks to Alice, hopefully in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to all for the reviews! Keep them coming, without reviews, there's no air. So anyhow, I'm glad everyone liked Emmett and Jasper's shenanigans. On to the next one...**

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Chapter 8**

**Peace Corps Camp**

**APOV**

"Oh those boys are so dead." I howled. Rosalie looked up from her magazine and gave me the 'what'd they do now' look. We had retired for the night from our second day of orientation and were just trying to pass the time.

"They're only going to ruin one of the most significant moments of Edwards life."

"Who's going to ruin what for Edward?" Chimed Esme as she came around the corner. She was almost as excited as I was at the prospect of Edward finding Bella.

"Emmet and Jasper are going to interrupt a pivotal interchange between Edward and Bella," I said.

"A bit dramatic don't you think?" Rosalie said with a bored tone.

I sighed. Rose just didn't get it, and that was partly my fault. I suppose I could tell her since Edward wasn't around to do his normal freak out, he was more of a drama queen than I was.

"Rose, I had another vision, before this last one. Bella is going to become one of us. I don't know when or how, if Edward is the one to bite her or not, but she will be changed. And when she is, she will be the best thing for Edward, and our whole family for that matter." I looked hopefully at Rosalie, starting to see some softening of her features.

"So what did our idiot husbands do to ruin the 'the most significant moment of Edwards life'?" she repeated over-dramatically.

"They were having the sweetest kiss ever and then..."

"Wait so Edward is going to kiss Bella? How is that even possible for him? I thought she was his singer? Doesn't that mean he should've already drunk every last drop of blood in her?"

"Well, for most encounters, yes, that would've happened, but I guess there's just something about Bella." I shrugged my shoulders, I really couldn't explain beyond the fact that Bella was special. "Anyhow, so they're having the sweetest kiss and Jasper starts making them laugh, while Emmett is hooting and hollering at them. At least Edward gets a good tackle in."

"Oh I have to go tell Carlisle..." Esme was clapping her hands quietly while issuing soft little squee's as she bounced out of the room.

"I guess if she can lift Captain Emo out of his self-imposed funk then I should maybe try to give her a chance." Rosalie shrugged one shoulder, resigned, and went back to her magazine.

I closed my eyes and laid down on the bed searching for any new developments to the future.

**Peruvian Jungle**

**BPOV**

I watched in horror as Edward launched himself at Emmett, tackling him to the ground. They began rolling around tussling, the advantage passing from one to the other. Then without warning I just started feeling really sad. Both Emmett and Edward stopped fighting and both started sobbing. Edward then leapt toward Jasper and Emmett cussed him and told him to cut it out. And just as quickly as the sadness overtook me, it disappeared.

Edward was walking towards me, adjusting his disheveled clothing, a look of apology on his face.

"So what just happened?" I asked, still reeling from the tide of different emotions I had experienced in the last two minutes.

"Where would you like me to start?"

"Um, why did we both start laughing while we were...you know..." He looked at me expectantly, ugh he was gonna make me say it. "You know, while we were _kissing." _I whispered the last word, feeling my cheeks flaming at the same time. Edward smiled that perfectly crooked smile that was becoming my undoing and I could feel myself melting a little bit more.

"That would be thanks to Jasper the Jerk. He was messing with our emotions."

"Oh right." I remembered our previous conversation about special abilities. The silence grew between the four of us and I began to feel the distinct churning of hunger. "So I know the jungle is like a perfect buffet for you guys, but I need to get some food." At that, my traitorous stomach decided to growl loudly. Edward chuckled and stretched his hand out to help me up. I smiled and thanked him.

"Emmett didn't we see a small estate just out of the jungle on the way towards that village?" Said Jasper.

"Yeah, that's right we did. Maybe we can stop and see if they have any food we can buy off of them."

"So how far away is this place? Am I going to have to endure more running?"

"Afraid so love, it's too far to walk, but once we're out of the jungle, we'll have to assume a more human pace. So just close your eyes and try not to think about it." He flashed me a stellar grin and lowered himself a bit so I could climb on his back. _Hold the phone. Did he just call me love? What is that all about?_

He helped me up and the four of us took off running. I immediately closed my eyes and buried my face into his back. I took that moment to inventory my feelings up to this point. I couldn't deny that I was oddly attracted to him. I'd had crushes and infatuations in the past, but I had truly never felt this strong of a pull towards anyone else before in my life. I had felt a bit empty enjoying the waterfall pool by myself, I felt like he should've been with me. My naughty romance author side even hoped that maybe he took a peek.

But why did he kiss me? Not that I minded, _holy cow that was the best kiss ever. _But really, it's not like anything could happen between us, especially once this whole treasure hunt fiasco was over with. He's in a completely different universe, one I doubt I would ever fit into. _I wonder if I ever could though, if I was like him._ I shook that thought out of my head. Emmett's reaction when I asked him that question pretty much said that Edward would never consider that as an option. I let out a small sigh and could feel us starting to slow down.

Thankfully, I didn't feel nearly as sick as the first time he'd run with me. I guess I just needed to get used to it. He set me down gently and we walked slowly to the edge of the dense jungle. I could see a large sprawling estate surrounded by walls and rolling hills. It was really quite beautiful. We approached casually walking up to the outer door and knocked.

I was starting to get really hungry so I hoped that we would be able to procure some kind of food from here. The small window at the top of the old wooden door opened and a man with an round baby face and short sandy blond hair appeared. Wonderful! An American, maybe he can help us. But I was more surprised at the voice that came out of his mouth. In a thick South American accent he said, "what do you want gringos?"

That's when I heard the clicks of at least a dozen rifles and turned around to see as many gunmen with their firearms trained on us. I let out a squeak and held up my hands. Edward smoothly asked the man if he had any food we could buy, but the man just waved us off. Edward turned to me and said, "I'm sorry Bella, we'll just have to keep looking." I gave the man a sad look and turned back towards the gunmen who had made a path way for us to escape.

"Stop!" Cried the voice of the man behind the door. "Bella Swan?" He asked excitedly. "Are you really _the_ Bella Swan?" _What on earth was he talking about _the_ Bella Swan._ "You write books no?" I nodded my head and all of a sudden the door burst open and the man came striding forward and grabbed me up into the biggest hug ever. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward immediately went on the defensive as did the gunmen, raising their weapons a little bit higher.

"I am your biggest fan! I read all of your books, _The moonlit river, Courage to Love, Love across the ages, _I think my favorite is _A New Frontier._" He started to choke up a bit, "that one made me cry."

"Well, I...uh...why thank you! It's a pleasure to meet a fan." I stammered. At this point, Emmett and Jasper had relaxed and I could tell Emmett was trying to hold in his laughter.

"I am Miguel Newton, please welcome to my home. Come in and have some desayuno."

We hesitated a bit as my, _biggest fan_, backed up into his estate, my stomach however, made the decision much easier. After a loud grumble we followed Miguel into a beautiful courtyard. He turned toward the main house and continued to beckon us forward. He excitedly grabbed my hand, eliciting another low growl from Edward, and pulled me toward a bookshelf in his living room.

"You see Miss Swan? I am your biiiigest fan." He waved his hand proudly over the entire collection of my authored works. I was so embarrassed, not only a little for myself, but mostly for him. These were romance novels, geared mostly towards women. Not what I'd consider average reading for a wealthy man.

We sat down at a table spread with delicious food and I began to salivate immediately. Miguel motioned for me to begin and he didn't have to ask twice. Conversation was light, but I knew the guys wanted to move on.

"So why do you have so many armed men here at your estate?" I asked, curious as to why we had been accosted for knocking on the door.

"Well, you see there are many corrupt people here and I have these men for protection. I am often harassed by the local policia, and need to be able to defend my home."

Edward moved forward in his seat a bit and placed his hands on the table. "Miguel, we need to get to this area," he pointed to a spot on the map we'd been looking at, "but unfortunately we have lost the use of our vehicle. Would you happen to have a car or truck that we could buy from you?"

Miguel sat back scrutinizing Edward and his brothers. He then looked over at me, "If it is to help Miss Swan, then I would gladly give you the use of my little burrow." Edward had to suppress a snort, but nodded.

"How much would you like for payment?" Miguel waved him off and patted my hand. "Miss Swan can have anything she wishes."

I was about to protest when we heard loud shouting and gunfire out in the courtyard. Miguel ran to the door and looked out the small window.

"Come with me, we must hurry. I will take you to the river crossing and then you may have my little Pépé to go wherever you need to." As we rushed to follow him I whispered low, "how is a burrow going to be of any use to us?"

Edward chuckled and grabbed my hand. "You'll see Bella, it's not your average burrow." He smiled. We walked into a dimly lit garage and Miguel hopped into a monstrous 4x4 off road jeep. Emmett grinned as he climbed up into the front passenger seat. Jasper climbed into the back as Edward lifted me up into the jeep following right behind.

"_This _is Pépé?!" I blurted out. Miguel lovingly patted the dash and revved the engine. "My little burrow," He cooed. Edward hurriedly buckled my seatbelt and the garage door opened. Miguel slammed on the gas and peeled out of the building. The shouting died down and as I looked behind us saw several men piling back into vehicles making to chase us.

"Head down Bella, a bullet won't do much to us, but it wouldn't be to good for you." Edward gently pushed my head down between my knees and assumed a protective stance over my back.

"Woooo Hoooo," I heard Emmett's boisterous outburst, I could only assume he was pumping his fist in the air. I scrunched in tighter around my legs when I heard gun shots and felt Edward more securely around me. I started getting nervous when I heard Jasper yelling, "We're not gonna make that, you can't make that jump!"

I had to peek. I lifted my head and saw just over the dashboard a small ramp appear out of nowhere. Before I knew it we were air born and flying across the river. With a jarring thud we landed on the other bank and continued a moment longer spinning around. Miguel started screaming in Spanish, I imagined a string of profanities being hurled at the pursuing group of vehicles. As he was shouting the ramp disappeared and every vehicle that tried to follow us came up short and landed in a heap in the middle of the river.

We peeled out again and drove around a bend. Miguel jumped out and wished us luck. We did the same and Emmett climbed into the drivers seat.

"Dude! This is what I'm talking about." He caressed the steering wheel and put the vehicle in drive and took off towards our destination. We drove through the countryside for a few hours and finally made to where the trail on Angela's map began. As we were getting closer to the jungle Emmett and Jasper tensed and Edward quickly pulled me behind him.

Jasper signaled to Emmett to go one way and he went the other, scouting, I guessed, for whatever creature had set off their danger alarms. They quickly returned and shook their heads. Edward stood right next to me inhaling deeply.

"It's not the same scent as the red head from before. This is different." Edward's brow was furrowed and he was looking really worried.

"This is all my fault. Just leave me, let me figure this out on my own. You guys shouldn't be putting yourselves in danger for me." It was true. There was no reason that I knew of that should compel them to stay.

"Bella, Love, I am not leaving you for a second," Edward said with an air of finality. He softened his tone though with the gentle stroke of his hand across my cheek.

"What exactly are we after? You guys still haven't filled us in on the whole deal," piped up Jasper. Edward motioned him over and began talking so quickly it all blurred together to sound like hissing to me. When they were done Jasper let out a low whistle.

"You sure don't do anything halfway do you Bella?" I shrugged my shoulders helplessly.

"So how many vampires have you come across in the last 48 hours Bella?" Chuckled Emmett as we made our way deeper into the jungle.

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A/N: Okay everybody, so I probably should've asked this at the start, but if there are any scenes from **_**Romancing the Stone**_** that you just love and would like me to try and include, put it in your review. And for those who hadn't gotten it yet, yes, **_**R T S,**_** was partial inspiration for this fic. So let me know. I love hearing all your thoughts!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you once again to all of you who left reviews and to those who read, (hint hint leave a review next time, cause I'm totally addicted). Thank you for the ideas...we'll see how many I can incorporate!**

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Peruvian Jungle**

**EPOV**

As we trekked through the jungle, we came across the first landmark on Bella's map, a small Incan temple in ruins. I pointed it out to Bella and she gasped at the site. It wasn't a huge shocker to me, I'd done extensive traveling in my long life, so seeing something so completely ancient wasn't a big deal for me. Bella, on the other hand, was fascinated and moved around the building touching various carvings on the rock facade.

While she was engrossed in her discoveries I pulled Jasper aside. "We crossed at least three different vampire scents. One was really faint, but the other two were fresh."

"I smelled it too, who do you think it is if it's not the woman from before?"

"I don't know Jasper, that's what has me worried. But I'll bet they know about the crystal too, why else would they be here?"

"This is amazing!" exclaimed Bella, she was totally captivated by the ruins. I moved to her side and scanned the carvings telling her a little bit about the history of the temple and how it had been a place of human sacrifice. At that she shuddered and decided she was ready to move on. I had to chuckle at her squeamishness but understood.

As we ventured along the old trail through the trees I heard Bella's stomach rumble. I looked over and quirked an eyebrow. "Do we need to stop so you can eat something?" Sheepishly opened her bag and took out a pastry from our breakfast with Miguel and an orange. She began munching happily as I peeled her orange for her.

I suppose in her semi-distracted state, she missed the large root in the middle of the pathway and went sprawling. I deftly snatched her around the waist and set her back up right.

"Maybe we should sit for a moment. I could use a drink of water."

"Okay, I'm going to scout around with Emmett for a moment, Jasper will stay with you okay?" I gave her hand a light squeeze which she returned with a half-hearted smile.

Jasper shot me a wary look and thought to me, _I don't know if that's a good idea Edward._

I tried to reassure him with my eyes, I needed to try and find these other vampires, and I also needed to know how Bella was feeling. The fact that I couldn't read anything from her was infuriating.

Emmett and I took off chasing the scent's that we'd picked up on earlier. We got to a point, though, where the trails just began criss crossing and became completely muddled. We sat silently for some time listening, Emmett with his ears, I with my mind, but we came up with nothing.

We decided to return to where Bella and Jasper were, the river we had to cross was close by and from the maps we'd seen at Miguel's there was a small town not far away that would probably have an inn. Bella would appreciate that.

I smiled to myself when I heard the musical laughter floating through the forest. As we rounded the corner I was even more pleased when I saw how lit up Bella was. She and Jasper must've had a good discussion.

"Looks like you two are getting on well," I said as I strolled up to Bella's side.

"Actually we are. Jasper was just telling me some stories," smirked Bella.

I shot a pointed look at Jasper who just smiled back innocently.

"So did you find anything of importance?" Jasper's mind shifted immediately to tactical mode.

"No. We got to a point where the trails were too confused. Like they were combing the area looking for something. Looking for the crystal, would be my guess."

"Well, we're close to the river we have to cross, I think there's a bridge up ahead. Let's keep moving and maybe we can make the town by nightfall."

"Town? There's a town?" Bella seemed so hopeful.

"Yes, there's supposed to be a town on the other side of the river before we get to the third landmark, the downed airplane."

"Do you think maybe there's a hotel there?"

"Maybe, love. We'll see when we get there, but don't get your hopes up. I'd hate for you to be disappointed."

She nodded and started along the trail. I guess she was motivated. It took much longer to get as far as Emmett and I had, but it was enjoyable. We passed by tons of tropical wildlife, Bella was particularly enamored of the monkeys that swung through the trees calling out to each other.

We were about half a mile away from the old bridge when the SAT phone started to ring. Emmett grabbed it out of his bag and answered.

"Hey Alice, what's up? Okay how long? From what direction? Okay we'll be ready."

He shut the phone off and I nearly jumped on him. "What did she say?" I demanded.

"We're going to have company of the unfriendly variety. They'll be here in about 5 minutes coming from over that ridge."

"Great. The bridge looks completely impassable. It's missing half the slats, and I don't think even I can jump that far across." I had started to pinch the bridge of my nose going through scenarios.

We'd come to an old rope bridge, badly decayed, but it was the only way across the deep gorge. I was pretty sure one of the ropes would snap at the lightest of touches. I couldn't risk Bella on something like that. We'd have to climb down to the river and back up the other side.

"Edward you stay here with Bella, Emmett and I will scope out the top of the ridge and see if we can catch them off guard."

I nodded and we waited. Jasper and Emmett both hid out of sight and it was just a minute or so before I heard their thoughts. They had caught Bella's scent and were coming for her, they were thirsty. I hissed what I heard to Jasper and told him and Emmett to take care of these two. I had to get Bella out of here and fast.

I was just about to turn around when I heard an ear piercing scream. I whipped around just in time to see Bella hanging on to a vine flying over the expansive river. I crossed my fingers that the vine wouldn't break, I don't think she could survive a fall that large. _Does this woman care nothing for her own life?_

I looked up to the top of the ridge and saw Emmett leap out of his hiding place and tackle a small female vampire, he'd caught her unaware and was able to restrain her, while Jasper wrestled with the male.

I turned and saw that Bella had sailed into the thick palms and brush on the other side of the gorge. I ripped up the anchor points of the bridge, I didn't want anyone to follow us. Jasper and Emmett could take care of those other two. I looked for a suitable vine and grabbed hold. I swung deftly over the river and landed next to Bella who sat stunned on the ground.

"Are you okay?" I began checking her over frantically looking for any sign of injury.

"Huh?" She looked up at me with large frightened eyes.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" My hands were combing through her hair feeling for any bumps or cuts.

"Uh, no..." she shook her head, "I think I'm okay." Now that I knew she wasn't injured my irritation grew ten fold.

"What on earth were you thinking? You could've killed yourself!"

**BPOV**

Emmett ended the call and Edward nearly ripped him apart trying to get answers.

"We're going to have company of the unfriendly variety. They'll be here in about 5 minutes coming from over that ridge."

I could only assume he meant other vampires. Who'd have known that when I jumped a plane to South America I would be thrust into the underworld?

Edward was worried about crossing the bridge, but I had other plans. No way was I going to stand around and be some other vampires lunch. Forget it. Besides, I wasn't that heavy, I could make it. I just had to be careful. Edward had turned away and was talking with Jasper and Emmett so I took that as my opportunity to try and cross.

I secured my bag and reached out to the rope and gently placed one foot on the old gray slat of wood. It seemed to support me, so I stretched my other foot forward and tapped the next slat tentatively. I gripped the rope railing and moved forward again. I looked up and gulped the nerves back down to my stomach. Further ahead, there were large holes in the wood and many looked rotted. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

I started to wobble and reached up to grab a long vine that had grown down from the canopy above. I slid my foot forward and made to take the next step but I heard a snap and the rope railing I had been holding on to snapped. I clung to the vine and my body twisted around. And then there was nothing below me.

"AARGHH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and pinched my eyes closed tightly. I wasn't very good at gym, but my panic made it impossible to even think about letting go of the rope. I felt giant leaves whacking me in the face and opened my eyes just in time to see solid ground below me. I let go of the vine and fell unceremoniously on my butt and just sat there stunned.

I ran through my normal internal injury checklist to make sure I was okay, and other than shock, I guessed I was fine. I'm not sure how long I sat there but after a while I felt cold hands roaming over me.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, still a bit out of it from the landing.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" I looked into his mesmerizing golden eyes and lost my train of thought. Edward's voice was a bit more panicked, which didn't suit him at all.

"Uh, no...I think I'm okay." I was shaking my head trying to clear my thoughts and un-dazzle myself.

"What on earth were you thinking? You could've killed yourself!" Ha! He was trying to lecture me about killing myself.

"Well, I would've rather plummeted to my death than become some deranged vampire's lunch!"

I could see Edward wince, and I internally cursed myself. That was probably the wrong thing to say if I had any chance of broaching the topic of the possibility of me joining his world. It was strange how I felt more comfortable with this group of vampires than I had with anyone else in my life. It felt like I belonged with Edward, and his family, it felt right to be with them, with _him._ I sighed and re-composed my face.

"I wouldn't have let that happen Bella. You're far too...you've just become...you mean too much to me. I never want to see you hurt. I won't allow it."

I guess he really didn't know me very well and I had to chuckle.

"Why do you find that funny?" Now he seemed hurt, and I hated to be the cause of that.

"I didn't mean to laugh Edward. You mean a great deal to me too. It's just, I don't see how you propose going about protecting me from everything. If you haven't already noticed, not only do I attract danger, but I am also a danger to myself. You can't protect me from everything."

I place one hand on his cheek, which seemed to calm him down a bit. He sighed and reached forward cupping the back of my neck with his hand. "I can try though. I want to try." He then leaned in and slowly brushed his icy lips over my overheated ones. I felt a shock go through me and I tried to stay still but it was impossible to keep my hands from threading into his silky soft hair. I leaned up and pressed myself closer to him wanting more. I opened my mouth and let out a soft sigh which made him tense. He froze for a second and in a flash he was gone.

I looked around bewildered and saw him squatting near a large tree 30 yards away. I guess without Jasper messing up our emotional responses I got a bit carried away. I reached my hand out toward him, "Edward, I'm sorry," I whispered.

He stood up cautiously and returned to my side. He helped me up and looked deeply into my eyes. "It's not your fault. I should know my limits, but you seem to bring out the teenager in me." He gave me that heartbreaking smirk and picked up my hand. As I was standing up a thought entered my head. "What happened to Jasper and Emmett?" Edward was still for a moment concentrating on something.

"They're fine. They took care of the two vampires that were after YOU!" I gasped a little as the realization hit me that I really was being hunted by numerous vampires. "Thank you! Please try and show a bit more of that sense of self-preservation?" He gently squeezed my shoulders.

"Come on, we need to get moving. Let's see if we can find you an inn."

I grinned at that thought. _What I would give for a shower right now!_

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A/N: Please feed my review addiction! You guys give awesome reviews. I really do enjoy reading every single one! Thank you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks once again for all the wonderful reviews. Sorry this took a little longer than usual. Hopefully this chapter will clarify and answer some questions you may have...**

**Chapter 10**

**Peruvian Jungle**

**EPOV**

I was elated that Bella let me hold her hand as we walked through the thick underbrush. I held back branches and tried to make sure she didn't lose her footing, which was a more difficult task than one would think. She was focused on not tripping over anything so I didn't get more than a fleeting glance of her deep brown eyes.

I honestly could watch Bella all day long and not ever get bored. I was brought out of my thoughts by her question, "So what exactly does it say on the parchment that I have?" She looked up with curiosity all over her face. She had absolutely no idea of the gravity of the situation we were in.

I blew out a long breath, "Well, I guess I should begin by explaining who the Volturi are."

She nodded and waited for me to continue. "Aro, Marcus, and Caius, are the oldest living vampires and are considered royalty. They have an elite guard made up of a dozen or more very talented vampires who serve to protect the three brothers as well as carry out discipline to covens and individuals who break vampire law."

"Vampires have laws?" She asked with a smirk.

"Well we really only have one law, which I have broken with you." I put a finger under her chin and brought her gaze to mine. Her eyes grew wide and concerned, "I promise I won't say a thing to anyone. I swear my lips are..." I cut her off with a quick but sound kiss, "sealed, yes I know they are." The blush immediately crept over her cheeks, _delightful_.

"So if any vampire makes trouble somewhere or if their hunting practices become careless, the Volturi step in and eliminate the threat of exposure." I reached out and helped her climb over a mossy log resting across our path. She clambered over the tree and stumbled on the other side. I relished her warmth as I wrapped my arms around her middle to keep her from falling over.

We stopped for a moment so Bella could eat a bit of what she'd saved from breakfast. "So what does all that have to do with the crystal?" I guess I had gone off on a tangent.

"Well, the three brothers gained their immortality in a sort of deal with the devil. According to the legend, they sought for power and the devil was willing to grant it to them, in exchange for their blood. When the crystal was made, a drop of blood from each of them was infused into the crystal. They were warned that with their immortality came a curse. They would have to subsist on blood, and would have to continue normal vampiric activity. If they chose to be sedentary and remain ensconced in a place of protection, their lives would be completely tied to the proximity of the crystal. If the blood crystal was to ever leave their possession, they would begin to lose their ability to move about and basically become like statues."

Bella seemed to be mulling things over in her mind and I could tell she was formulating a question. "So why would someone want to steal the crystal? Do it's powers extend to anyone else?"

"It's power to sustain a sedentary life, like the Volturi chose, is only applicable to those whose blood lies within the crystal. However, if Aro, Marcus, and Caius are removed from power, whether by death or inability to lead, the whole of our government falls into chaos. This would allow opportunistic covens to take over. There are some who would have us take over the world and treat humans as nothing more than cattle. That's the only reason I could see someone stealing the crystal."

"So do you want a future like that?" Bella looked up anxiously at me, still munching on some bread.

"Good heavens NO! That's the last thing I want. My family has deliberately chosen to live off of animals because we want to maintain as much humanity as we can. We don't want to be monsters. It's why we work so hard to interact with humans."

"So why then are you after the crystal, and please don't tell me it's just to help my friend. I've gathered that that is not your main intent." She now had her arms crossed over her chest looking a bit defiantly at me.

"I want to find the crystal because I could hear snippets in the mind of that red headed vampire woman, and she and her partner want to do just what I want to avoid. The crystal must be returned to the Volturi, even if they can be ruthless and their style of governing is imperfect, it has allowed us to live in peace for a very long time."

She looked at me for a while, trying to figure something out. "So what will we do for Angela and Ben? I can't just let them die, even if it is for the greater good of the whole vampire world."

"I know you can't Bella," how could I help her understand that my family would help her friends? "We'll find a way to help them, don't worry."

She stood up and brushed the crumbs from her pants and took a deep breath. "So how much further to the town?"

I smiled my signature smile and pulled her onto my back, "just a few minutes if you close your eyes." I could hear her groan as she locked her legs around my waist and buried her face into my shoulder.

I took off running at half speed, fast enough to get us to the town, but hopefully not so fast as to make her ill. When we reached the edge of the forest, I set her down and waited while she got her land legs back. We walked hand in hand down the small dirt road to the village nestled in the valley between two very large mountains covered in lush greenery.

As we got closer it appeared there was going to be a celebration of sorts. There were streamers strung from all the rooftops and in the main plaza a stage had been set up and there were dozens of tables and chairs set up all around. Vendors had booths set up with all kinds of goods from clay pots and household items to fine clothing and shoes. There were also many booths with foods being prepared for the fiesta that was to be held.

I stopped a local and asked if there was a hotel or an inn and he pointed me towards a small building just on the other side of the plaza.

As we walked across the plaza, Bella tightened her grip on my hand. "So _is_ there a hotel?" I decided to have a little fun with her. I walked her over to the large fountain in the middle of the square and sat down on the edge. I patted the space next to me and she sat down, again looking so hopeful.

I plastered the most apologetic look I could on my face and began slowly, "Bella, I'm so sorry, but this fountain is the closest thing you're going to get for a shower. We'll have to head back into the jungle to find some place to sleep."

Her face crumpled immediately and I could see her shoulders slump. What I didn't expect were the tears. She tried to be brave, but her lips began to tremble and she couldn't hold back the droplets streaming from her eyes. _Whoa, I wasn't expecting that, okay damage control._

"Bella?" I lifted her chin up and cupped her cheek with my hand, "I was only joking, the hotel is just over there," I said pointing to the building behind me. She looked up at me and flashed frustration. I watched, a little bit scared, as she regained her composure. She threw back her hand and punched me in the arm, which was obviously a mistake for her.

"OW, ow ow ow ow ow! Edward! You big jerk. I can't believe you did that to me. Ow." She tucked her hand into her stomach and started to stand up. I reached up for her arm but she yanked it out of my grasp, I wasn't trying very hard to hold her though. I didn't want to hurt her.

She stormed off towards the inn at which point my phone rang. I answered with a dejected, "hello?" Of course it was Alice. Of course.

"Edward! You are such a moron. You don't play with a woman's hygiene like that. Go apologize and stop being such a jerk."

"Yes ma'am. Oh, did Em and Jasper make it back okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine, but the two vampires from Volterra, they were fighting with got away. We'll have lots to discuss when you and Bella get back here."

"Okay, we should have what we're looking for by tomorrow, then we'll head back to Iquitos."

"Sounds good, Oh and Edward, get her the white skirt and the pink top. Don't forget the sash."

With that last cryptic comment, the line went dead. I hurried across the plaza and caught up to Bella just in front of the inn.

"Bella, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have joked like that. Can I see your hand?" She glared at me through narrowed eyes. "Please?" I tried to give her my best dazzling puppy dog face.

She huffed and stretched her hand towards me. I noticed the small bruises forming on her knuckles and held her hand in between both of mine. She hissed a bit with the discomfort but then closed her eyes.

"The cold feels nice. I'm sorry I hit you, I was just really upset," she whispered sheepishly.

"I know, and I deserved it. Forgive me?"

"I forgive you. Now can we please check in?"

The clerk gave me the key to our room, and we headed up the stairs. I opened the door and nudged Bella inside. I took in our ghastly appearance and decided new clothes were in order.

"Enjoy your shower. I'm going to get us some new duds okay?"

"That would be great. Thank you Edward."

I headed back down to the plaza and wandered through the many booths. I found a suitable outfit for myself and began looking for what Alice had described. After searching through three different booths I finally found the outfit. A flowing white skirt with delicate beading detail and a soft pink tunic with a wide collar. I looked through the sashes and found a black one flecked with gold and pink that matched the shirt. I could already imagine how lovely she would look.

I hurried back to the hotel, the shower was still running. She must really enjoy showers. I had to work hard to banish the visions of her under the waterfall from my mind. My thoughts briefly drifted to how her beauty would be enhanced if she was a vampire. _Stop It! You will never inflict this kind of life on her. She is too good to become a monster._

I left the toothbrush and a comb that I'd pick up for her on the bed next to the skirt and blouse. I left a note telling her I'd meet her in the plaza.

Dusk was settling over the little village and the whole place was coming alive. People were streaming into the square where a band had begun to play. The signs indicated it was a festival honoring the founder of the village.

I began pacing impatiently in front of the fountain. How long could it take for one woman to get ready? I should know the answer to that already having lived with Rosalie for the last fifty some odd years.

I was about to go back up to the room when Venus herself strode through the doorway. She was radiant. Her creamy white skin was glowing and her hair cascaded down over her shoulders in soft waves. The skirt fit her perfectly and the shirt complimented her shape. The wide neck hung loosely barely off of her left shoulder and the sash accentuated her small waist. She was a vision.

Like a moth to a flame I was drawn to her. She turned and I caught her gaze and smiled. She ducked her head and I could see a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. I moved to her side and pick up her uninjured hand.

"You look absolutely breathtaking."

"You're not so bad yourself," she giggled. _Did she really just giggle?_

"How about we get you some dinner, there looks to be quite the selection." I motioned towards the food booths and encouraged her to choose whatever she wanted. Once her plate was full we found a more secluded table and sat down. She dug in and a thought crossed my mind. _I still don't really know anything about this woman._

"Bella, tell me about your family?"

"There's not much to tell. My parents divorced when I was a baby, my dad is the police chief in the tiny town I was born in and my mother lives in Florida with her new husband." She shrugged and popped another bite of tamale into her mouth.

"Where were you born?"

"I was born in Forks, Washington." How could this be just a coincidence?

"So Charlie Swan is your father?"

She looked shocked, "How did you know that? I thought..."

"My family and I just came down here from Forks. We've been living there for about 3 years."

"Oh." I looked down at her nearly finished plate and reached for her hand. The band had begun playing a lively tune and my feet were just itching to dance.

"Come on, let's dance." I felt the resistance from her hand and looked over at her. She was chewing on her bottom lip and had a worried wrinkle on her brow. "What's wrong? Don't you want to dance with me?"

"Edward," she said softly, "it's not that I don't want to, I just don't. I can't dance. Really, I trip over air, dancing would probably land me in the hospital."

"Bella, I won't let you fall, I haven't yet." I winked and pulled her up out of her seat. She reluctantly followed me onto the dance floor where I held her gently in my arms. I spun us around and felt her small arms run up the outside of my gauzy shirt. The electric tingles shot through me and I was transported to another place.

I took her right hand in my left and snaked my other hand around her waist holding her close. With gentle pressure I helped her sway her hips in time to the music and we danced like partners who'd been together for years.

As I got lost in her eyes, the music seemed to disappear, everything around us seemed to disappear. There was only Bella spinning around in circles with me. She lifted her face and leaned in. The beast within me roared at her closeness. Her scent was all the more pure, undiluted with mud and grime. But the man within me pushed all that aside. I needed to feel her lips, I needed her more than any other substance, I needed her to be mine.

I pulled her closer and leaned my head down ghosting my lips over hers. "Bella," I whispered, "you are my life now." I stroked her cheek and she crushed her lips to mine. I savored the warmth and softness, minding the force that I used.

The sweetness of her skin was overwhelming. It felt like fireworks going off. When she broke away from me, I looked around us and noticed there were in fact fireworks for the celebration. I chuckled to myself at my absurd imaginations. I noticed Bella trying to stifle a yawn and led her off the dance floor.

"Tired love?" She smiled that beautiful uninhibited smile and nodded. We walked slowly back to the hotel and up to our room.

Bella crawled up onto the bed and laid down on the pillow. With her hair fanned around her head, she looked like an angel. Through sleepy eyes, she looked up at me and patted the bed next to her.

Cautiously I laid down beside her and held my arms open. She scooted closer to me and I wrapped my arms around her. Humming softly, I listened as her breathing evened out and her heartbeat slowed to an even thump.

After some time she started mumbling again. I smiled at the incoherent thoughts coming out of her mouth. Her lips curled into a smile and she sighed, "I love you Edward." I felt the breath whoosh out of me. Never had a more pure sentiment been directed toward me.

"I love you Bella, more than my entire existence," I whispered and closed my eyes trying to pretend like I could still sleep.

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**A/N: So let me know....what did you like? what did you hate?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! Thank you once again for the great reviews. I'm really trying to be motivated to update more, and I really would like to get this finished before I have my baby in like 2 weeks. So send me lots of reviews and encouragement so I don't leave you hanging for a month :)**

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BPOV**

I awoke the next morning thoroughly rested and completely content. Last night had been surprisingly fun, I never expected dancing could be enjoyable. I guess I just never had the right partner. With a shiver I turned into the stone cold chest of my Edward. _My Edward? Is that what he was? When did that happen? Focus Bella. Save Angela, fall for the boy later._

"Morning Angel," he murmured.

I stretched and arched my back letting out all my morning groans. Sleeping on an actual bed was really nice.

"Mmmm, morning," I replied trying to shield Edward from my dragon breath.

"I'm going downstairs to the cantina to pick you up some breakfast, then we should get moving. I'd like to make it back to Iquitos and meet up with the rest of my family tonight. I think Alice is excited to see you again."

"I'm excited to see her too. Though I'm more worried about Angela. I have no way to contact whoever is holding her-they called me from an unlisted number, and it's been days. She could already be, Oh my...she could already be dead." The last part of my sentence caught in my throat and came out in a whisper.

Edward wrapped his strong arms around me and tried to console me. I could feel myself shaking with uncontrollable sobs. She was my best friend, what if my horrible luck had brought her death? And here I am falling in love with Edward! I would never be able to live with myself. Slowly I felt my body relax. Edward was humming softly and rubbing circles on my back.

"We'll find her, don't worry. She'll be okay."

I nodded mutely and stood up to splash some water on my face. Edward gathered our things and slung my messenger bag over his head. I looked into the mirror and grimaced at my bloodshot eyes and puffy cheeks. My nose was red from where I'd been wiping it, I still had a stupid cold.

I had just straightened myself up when Edward burst into the bathroom and grabbed my shoulders spinning me around quickly. "We need to get out of here, NOW."

**James POV**

Victoria took me to the location where she fought with the unknown vampire. There were three distinct scents and of course the human. Her scent was even more delicious than I expected. We scouted the area finding much of nothing and continued to follow their scent. We were fortunate that it hadn't rained again.

We kept to the shadows of the forest, not that we expected to come across anyone in these remote parts. I was still fuming at how disastrously this operation was going. Not only had we lost the crystal, but we were now being kept from our goal by some unknown group of vampires. They were obviously trying to thwart my plans and assume all the power for themselves. That would certainly not happen.

We made quick time through the jungle and came to a wide gorge. Here we came across two more very familiar scents; elite guard from Volterra. I thought we'd lost them, but I guess I was wrong. What I found most curious is that the two unknown vampires and the two guard left in one direction and the other vampire and the human went in another direction, seemingly over the gorge.

I was fairly certain the human still had the information sent by her friend, she was more important than the other four. Victoria and I quickly hopped down the gorge and scaled the opposite wall in a matter of minutes and continued our pursuit.

I was able to track them to a small village, it appeared the aftermath of a celebration was still being cleaned up. I could practically taste Bella's blood in my mouth. Her scent was all over the place, but strongest near the hotel. I went in and asked about her and received confirmation that she was there with a male companion. Again, a minor complication.

Victoria suggested we wait in a more secluded location so as not to arouse any suspicions against us. We retreated into the cover of the forest on the edge of town closest to the inn. She wouldn't get away this time.

**EPOV**

The scent was fresh and it put me on edge. The red-head and presumably her partner had been here very recently. We were in danger, more so Bella than me. Regardless, we needed to get moving. The sooner we had the crystal, the sooner we could get back to my family.

I burst into the bathroom and grabbed Bella by the shoulders, "We need to get out of here now." I slung her bag over my shoulder and we made our way down the hall of the hotel. There was a small window at the end of the corridor that led to the balcony around the second floor of the hotel. I didn't want to risk using the main entrance in case they were watching.

We slid around the balcony to the back alley. I motioned for Bella to climb on my back. She looked at me wide eyed and shook her head. I pointed more forcefully and nodded my head indicating for her to get on. Reluctantly she hopped up on my back and wrapped her arms and legs around me in what a human might consider a death grip, to me it was just cozy.

I leapt deftly from the balcony and landed without a sound on the ground below. From there I wove in and out of the shadows making my way toward the forest. The scent of the other vampires was much less potent this way and I desperately hoped we were going in the opposite direction that they were.

I didn't need to look at the map to know where we needed to go next, so I immediately took off at my fastest speed once we'd reached the cover of the trees. No sooner had I started running than the rain came cascading down on us in sheets. While Bella smelled even more delicious in the rain, I hoped that the precipitation would wash away any trail for the two rogues to follow.

Unfortunately the combination of my skin temperature and the rain was making Bella shiver. I could feel the violent tremors running through her body and pushed even harder to make it to the downed airplane. Hopefully there would be some dry cover and something with which I could make a fire.

We got to the airplane and I set Bella down on the ground looking for the door, it looked to be some kind of old tourist plane. I heard Bella shriek and turned to see if she'd been hurt. She was backing up stumbling and pointing towards the cockpit. It was then that I noticed the pilot, or what was left of the pilot hanging haphazardly out of the broken window. The bones of the skeleton were sun bleached. I imagined the place had been here for decades.

I ran with open arms to try and comfort her. She was dealing with a lot more than she was ever used to. She buried her face into my chest and began sobbing. "I can't do this Edward. I'm...a...a...ci..city..girl."

"Shhhh, I know," I soothed, "let's see if we can get you warm inside the plane."

"Let's s...stay in the b...back please?" I nodded and pulled open the rear door. I checked inside and noticed that the craft had been converted into a cargo plane. At least it was dry. I led Bella inside and started looking through the various items inside. Bella pulled a book sized bundle wrapped in plastic and taped, from a large pile of debris.

"Ummm, I might be a hermit, but is this what I think it is?" Bella asked, still shivering.

I took the package from her and broke it open spilling thousands of dollars of marijuana onto the floor of the plane. "Yeah, I think it's exactly what you think it is," I chuckled, "and there's plenty more where that came from. I think it's probably the only thing that will burn though."

I found a few bits of paper and cleared a space on the floor of the airplane. I took out my trusty zippo and started a small fire, using the bricks of marijuana as fuel. I reasoned that with the rain and the smoke from the drugs burning, our scents would be covered enough to confuse the other vampires if they should be following us.

Bella sat curled up a few feet away from the fire with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Even soaking wet with sad puffy eyes, she was still the most beautiful creature I had ever beheld.

"Bella, you're doing really well for someone so inexperienced in the outdoors."

She shook her head and let out a derisive snort. "I mean it! What city girl would go flying across a gorge on a vine? You're just being a real trooper, that's all." _Trooper? What kind of idiot says that? Oh. Me that's who. Stupid._ I threw on another kilo onto the fire.

She smiled and softly said, "thank you Edward. I don't know where I'd be with out your help."

I shrugged and gave her my best crooked smile, "It's been my pleasure." We sat there for a while looking at the fire. I was trying to hold her without touching her much so she could get warm. She looked so beautiful in the firelight. I looked down at her and she grinned and started giggling. I guess the fumes from the drugs were starting to take their effect. She had finally stopped shivering, for which I was grateful, but now a very amusing Bella was making an appearance.

"Soooooooooooooo Edwaaaaaaaaaard," she drawled, "you know how old I am, but I don't know how old you are." She poked me in the chest as she flopped her head onto my shoulder.

"I'm 17." She smacked her hand on my chest and snorted again.

"And how loooooooooooong have you been 17?" She had closed her eyes and had slipped down so her head was resting on my lap. She blinked a few times and looked up at me.

"A while. I was born in 1901."

"Woooooooooow! So you're really old huh?" I had to chuckle, she was getting very high. I decided it would probably be best to not add any more bricks to the fire. "Edward? Do you like music?"

"As a matter of fact I do." I smiled at her hazy inquisition. Even in a drug induced stupor she was adorable.

"What's your favorite music?"

"Well, I like lots of different things, but I find classical to be my favorite."

"Mmmm, classical's nice I suppose. But what'bout just classic stuff?" Bella then did something I was not expecting at all. She popped up out of my lap and started clapping and broke out into a very off key rendition of _Maneater_ by Hall and Oates. Swaying side to side she started in on the chorus.

"Ooooohhhh here she comes, watchout boy she'll chew you up. Ooooh here sh'comes she's a maneater." Her eyes popped open and she leaned forward whispering conspiratorially, "I'm glad you're not a maneater Edward." She exploded in a fit of ridiculous laughter, "get it? Get it? Edward, _man_ eater!"

"I get it Bella, look why don't we get you some fresh air?"

"Pshhh, it's still raining and I'm jes startin'to get dry." Then she blew raspberries at me. I rolled my eyes and tried to extinguish the remaining embers of the fire with my shoe.

"Oooohh I got one, Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Just like me they long to beeeee close to yooooooouuuu." She sighed and leaned forward bring her hand to my cheek. "You know Edwaaaard, you're pretty cute." I could almost feel the manic wind up gears that had been turning in her head coming to a halt.

"I think you're pretty high," I snickered. I groaned as she flew momentarily into the chorus of the Tal Bachman song, _She's so High_. "You are my Aphrodite," I whispered before placing a kiss on her forehead. She slumped down and passed out with her head resting on my lap.

**BPOV**

I woke up being jostled slightly. My head felt all foggy and muddled and I was having trouble concentrating on what was going on. I felt like I was floating but I quickly realized I was being carried. I looked up through one squinted eye at my bronze haired hero. I was cradled in his arms bridal style and we were walking through the now precipitation free rainforest.

"Hello love, how are you feeling?" He looked down with his molten honey eyes and smiled.

"Like crap, thanks for asking." Edward slowed down and set me on my feet. He held me steady while I regained my balance. I held my head in my hands and tried to stave off some of the pounding I was feeling. "I'm never doing drugs again ever, even if I'm dying of hypothermia."

I heard his smooth chuckle. Mocking me, mocking my pain. "So how bad was I?"

"I don't think I've ever been more entertained in my life. Just be very glad that Emmett wasn't there to witness. He would show no mercy, I on the other hand, won't mention a word, unless you ask." He winked. _Smug winking vampire._

"Not another word. EVER!" I pointed at his nose just for emphasis. "So how much further?"

"We're there. The mouth of the cave is right over there behind those vines."

"Really?"

"Really." He pointed to a wall of twisted and tangled vegetation and started walking towards the mouth of the cave.

I walked cautiously, ducking through the low entrance. Edward pulled a flashlight out of nowhere and flicked it on. He passed it to me and continued along the winding path. He held his hand out for me to grip as we both shuffled forward hunched over.

We reached the back of the cave and quickly located the pile of rocks that Angela had indicated on her map. Edward cleared the pile away quickly and picked up the leather purse. He carefully pulled the strings and shook the pouch into my hand. Out plopped a quartz-like crystal that was tinted the oddest shade of milky red. The first thing I noticed is that the crystal was warm to my touch, almost like it was alive.

I quickly pushed it into Edward's hand because it was really starting to creep me out. He looked at the crystal strangely and then tucked it back into the pouch handing it to me.

"Let's get out of here," he said. And swiftly led me towards the front of the cave. I wasn't expecting him to stop so abruptly and ran face first into his back. He hissed viciously and pushed me further behind him. "Whatever you do, stay behind me Bella."

As we emerged from the cave we were greeted by two pair of crimson eyes. I recognized the red-head from her earlier confrontation with Edward. The blonde haired man, I assume was the threatening voice over the phone.

"Hello Bella," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "While it seems you're completly incompetent when it comes to following simple directions, you've saved me a great deal of trouble by getting the crystal for me."

Edward continued to stand as a shield in front of me, snarling most likely at the thoughts the two vampires had.

"Are my friends okay? Where are they?"

"Currently they are still alive...but that can all change with a simple phone call." He reached for a cell phone and I panicked.

"NO! Please whatever you want..."

"I want the crystal," he roared. I was shaking and could feel the hot tears trickling down my cheeks.

"Why James? It does you no good, the only ones it empowers are the ones who's blood lies within it," Edward offered. He looked shocked that Edward knew his name. "That's right I can hear you," Edward said, tapping his temple. James shook off his momentary surprise and continued.

"I want those geezers out of commission so I can bring a new order to the vampire world. Too long we've been stuck in the shadows; but no longer. These pitiful humans will know who rules, and will cower at our feet."

"Over my pile of ashes." Edward stated calmly. The flurry of action that began after that was almost too much for me to see clearly.

Edward lunged at the woman and threw her hundreds of feet away as James stalked towards me. I began backing up into the cave and Edward jumped on his back and wrenched him to the ground. I could hear the ear-splitting crack of their granite muscles collided. James jumped up and grabbed Edward by the throat pinning him to a tree. By now, the woman was running at me and pulled me down by my hair throwing me into the boulder next to the mouth of the cave.

I heard the sickening crunch as my ribs crashed into the huge rock. I groaned and slumped down raising my arm over my face. Edward roared and threw James back sprinting to pull the red head off of me. She had managed to get a few good hits in and I could feel my eye beginning to swell. I think my cheekbone was broken too. I could barely see Edward out of one eye and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Voices were muffled and I was starting to spin into the darkness. I wished I could be of more help to Edward, to Angela. I hope she and Ben find some way to escape.

The woman was a strong fighter and had Edward thoroughly occupied leaving me vulnerable to James. I was jerked out of the fog I was in and soon learned that James liked to see his victims suffer. He yanked my arm dislocating my shoulder and I groaned in pain. He then carefully positioned his foot over my leg and whispered, "scream for me Bella."

I simply closed my eyes willing the pain to be over. _Just end it._ He slowly applied more pressure to my leg until it snapped and I cried out in agony. I then really did feel like I was flying as my limp body slammed into the ground twenty yards away from where I had been. Breathing was hard, it felt like I was drowning. I was starting to lose consciousness, I could feel the world getting dimmer, I could feel the pain of every point of impact on my flesh. I couldn't hold on. _Goodbye Edward, I love you._

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A/N: Yay! Finally one of my signature evil cliffies...don't you just love it! Let me know!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: You guys are so lucky! I'm feeling very motivated and I've got exciting stuff planned for the last several chapters. And because my Beta, SweetThunder, is awesome and made some great changes and additions to this chapter in record time, I get to post this tonight. **

**So let's get on with the show!**

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EPOV**

I roared when I saw Bella's limp body fly through the air. I immediately threw Victoria off my back and rounded on her. The faint thudding of Bella's heart was becoming more and more erratic. I didn't have much time. I could hear James' thoughts sneaking up behind me but in a flash they were turned elsewhere.

I looked up and saw Zafrina fly into and knock him to the ground. Somehow I managed to disentangle myself from Victoria and throw her off, far enough that I could rush over to where Zafrina was attacking James.

"Zafrina! The woman. He's mine," I growled. As Victoria ran to aid James, Zafrina quicky leapt on to her and they began exchanging blows.

James and I circled like two tigers stalking each other. Because I could hear his thoughts I could anticipate his attacks and was able to avoid his lunges. His frustration was mounting and he began to lose focus. I was finally able to maneuver behind him and grabbed hold of his hair.

I quickly put my teeth to his neck and began the swift process of dismantling the fiend who had so damaged my Bella. The screeching sound of metal ripping echoed through the clearing as I tore his limbs off and ripped him apart. I was almost startled by my own ferocity as I let the monster in me take over. I heard Victoria's raging thoughts and I looked at her with nothing but malice when I lit the pile of parts on fire with my lighter.

"Noooooooooooooooooooo!" shrieked Victoria. She came at me full force but fate had other ideas. As fast as she'd come at me she stopped cold and turned the other way. I saw a haze of red hair as she seemed to blend into the scenery around us and made for the forest. It was then that I heard the thoughts of Alice, Emmett and Carlisle. My Father and brother jumped over me and made to chase Victoria.

Alice was babbling as she hurried to my side, "I'm so sorry Edward, I didn't see until it was about to happen, it was too fast, your phone had no reception." I fell to my knees next to the broken body of the only woman I would ever love.

Her breathing was shallow and raspy, it sounded like she had a punctured lung. Her legs were sprawled at awkward angles and her heart was getting weaker and weaker. I gently took her hand in mine and whispered in her ear.

"Bella, love, hang on, you can't leave me. I won't survive without you."

"Edward," Alice murmured, "I've seen her future, you have to change her."

"NO! Alice I cannot damn her like that. She hasn't asked me for that."

"But you don't know that she doesn't want it, that she doesn't understand everything that comes with such a choice. You can't see in her head, but I can see her future and it's getting more clear every second!" She shrilled.

Alice's eyes glazed over and I caught a glimpse of what the future of my family would be if I did nothing. It was bleak to say the least. I couldn't live without Bella, I found a way to taunt the wolves in forks and watched myself being torn apart by those dogs. My family split apart and became embittered towards each other, blame was laid at the feet of those who didn't deserve it and the Cullens were no more.

Alice then showed me the vision she had of Bella as a vampire. She and I were embracing and I was spinning her in circles. We were both radiating happiness and she laughed throwing her head back. She looked perfect and amazing and ethereal and I couldn't help but want that for my life. But it was wrong, so very wrong, for me to steal her humanity.

"Alice. I can't be that selfish, I just.." Bella began to cough up blood and was becoming weaker by the second.

"It has to be now Edward, she won't survive more than a few more minutes." This time it was Carlisle who spoke up. In his mind he said, _Her life back home isn't something she wants, she wants you. You have to believe that if she wants you there is something of value in you. _I wasn't sure when he and Emmett had returned, but I was grateful.

"But Carlisle, how do I know she won't hate me for this?"

"She won't Ed, I think she wants this," chimed in Emmett with his two cents.

The selfish monster roared within me and pushed me to take what was mine, but the man in me mourned for her humanity, mourned the loss of her warmth and softness.

_Thump....th....th...thump_

"Edward, NOW!" Screamed Alice.

"Help me stop, Carlisle," I whispered.

I leaned over Bella's body and brushed her hair away from her neck. "I love you my sweet, never forget that." I sunk my razor sharp teeth into her soft neck and felt the gush of nectar that flowed from her veins. It was like the purest most powerful drug sliding down coating my parched and dry throat. I finally understood why she was called my singer. As I took gulp after gulp of her sweet essence I could actually hear the most beautiful music in my head. I began to feel carried away. But in the far away recesses of my mind I heard the soft voice of my own creator, "You love her Edward. You have to stop."

I struggled my way down from the high I was on and came back to my senses. Somehow I found a way to push aside the part of me that didn't want to stop drinking. I sealed the wound with my venom and moved quickly to her wrists again biting through the soft flesh. This time I endeavored not to linger, I couldn't afford to lose her now. Her ankles came last and I slumped to the ground, willing the blood thirsty monster writhing within me back into the cage I had tried to carefully construct for it.

"You did well son," Carlisle's voice seemed muffled and far away, I couldn't focus on anything but Bella's heart. It was still beating unevenly and I wasn't sure if I'd delivered enough venom quickly enough to effect the change.

After several minutes her heart beat began to pick up and beat more evenly, swiftly pumping my venom through her entire body. I entered a new personal hell; hearing the love of my life screaming from the excruciating pain that I had inflicted upon her.

"It burns, Edward! Stop the burning, I'm on fire," she wailed through her tightly clenched jaw. I could see every muscle in her body contracting violently. She was covered in sweat from the effort.

"Shhh, I know it burns love, try to focus elsewhere. I'm right here." I tried to soothe her, covering as much of her as I could with my cold touch. I recognized vaguely that Carlisle was talking with Zafrina. Alice remained by my side while Emmett paced back and forth.

It was absolute torture to try and ignore the groans and pain-filled sobs that were issuing from Bella's lips. I felt Carlisle's strong hand on my shoulder and looked up at him, I'm sure with the black eyes that signaled my despair.

"You did the right thing Edward, you have to know that."

"Did I? Is being a selfish and soul-less monster really the right thing for her? I'm not so sure."

"We are not soul-less creatures, I don't know what it will take for you to grasp that concept. I have faith in Alice's visions, this one in particular. Bella will bring nothing but completion and joy to our family; to you, especially."

"I hope so." It was weak and pitiful, but it was all I could muster.

"Come on, Zafrina has shelter not far from here that she's offered us to try and help Bella be more comfortable during her change."

Emmett began to lift Bella and the possessive monster in me growled menacingly. She was mine. No one would touch her.

"Edward! If you don't let Emmett help, it will exacerbate her injuries, prolonging the transformation. Is that what you want?" Alice was giving me her best glare.

"No, I'm sorry Em, I'm just a little over protective right now."

"I know bro, don't worry about it. I want her to be comfortable too, she's kind of grown on me."

"Edward if it helps any, with the amount of venom you were able to deliver, I see her change taking only about two days instead of the usual three."

I simply nodded and lifted Bella on Emmett's count. We slowly followed Zafrina to a small hut in the middle of the jungle. There was a cot and a chair, a few bowls and other items, but that was it. A bowl of cold water and a rag was placed in front of me and I began mopping Bella's head with the cool cloth.

Zafrina left to find her sisters and Alice and Emmett returned to the Peace Corps base camp. Carlisle took up a seat on the floor with his back leaning against the wall of the hut.

After hours of self torture, I found the strength to hold a conversation. "How did I stop Carlisle?"

"I'm not sure son, I only reminded you once, you did the rest. Your control was outstanding."

"I didn't want to. The sweetness of her blood was like no other. It was like her body was begging me to take every last drop. I feel so ashamed."

"The last thing you should feel is shame. You _did _ stop. For that you should be extremely proud."

"How did you cope? Listening to me go through this? To Esme for goodness sakes? How did you not want to die all over again?" I turned back to Bella and I winced as I heard the broken bones being mended and hardened into granite. Her screams had died down to mumbling and moaning, but I knew the fire she was enduring. I grabbed handfuls of my hair trying to calm my nerves.

"I'm not entirely sure Edward. One minute at a time, doing what I thought would help the most, exactly what you're doing right now. That's all we can do."

I soaked the rag again and brushed it over her face. It broke my heart to see her delicate features contorted in so much pain. How could I survive another twenty four hours of this torment?

The cycle went on through the night and the next day, she would gasp or moan in pain, and I would do my best to soothe, whisper, and cool the pain away. Nothing seemed to be helping, though I could tell her transformation was nearly complete. Her heart was slowing, the cells of the pumping muscle slowly solidifying and becoming a rigid and useless organ. I laid my ear to her chest counting each beat that was left of her life.

Carlisle was at my side observing the changes that had occurred. Her face was refined, her hair, though dirty and stained with blood had more shine and wave, her curves were enhanced and her skin was now flawless. She was truly a sight to behold.

The final beat thudded through her chest and I waited anxiously for her eyes to open.

**BPOV**

The fire was gone. _Thank Goodness the fire was gone. _The pain was also gone. But I wasn't dead, at least I didn't think I was. The last thing I remember was flying through the air. And then I heard it, "Bella, love, please open your eyes."

My Edward had saved me. I must be in a hospital, though I heard none of the familiar hospital sounds and I didn't smell any of the clinical sterile smells that come with a hospital. I inhaled deeply, _that's what was missing. _Wet, mud, blood-_ugh coppery salt smell,_ Edward. _Mmmmm he smells even more wonderful than he did before. I wonder why?_

Then I heard it again, "please love, open your eyes." He was desperate, the tone of his voice was broken and sad. I didn't want him to be sad. I slowly let my eyelids separate. As I opened them, I could make out the individual straws of the thatched roof above me, each tiny particle of dust floating in the shaft of sunlight, and then I settled my gaze on the one face that mattered most, Edward.

"Hello love. How do you feel?"

How should I feel? Last I remember I was being tossed to the ground. I did a quick inventory of my injuries and happily found none. I wiggled every part of me from top to toe and I felt just fine. In fact, I felt better than fine.

"I know I should be hurt, but really I feel good. My throat is dry, but that's all. What happened?"

Edward turned and glanced at someone else and then back to me. He had a broken look on his face and seemed to be struggling with his words. I moved to sit up and he reached for my hand to help me. As our fingers connected I gasped in shock. He was warm. The electric buzz was still there but he wasn't cold.

"You're warm, and soft? What's going on Edward?" He grimaced and held my other hand in his. He knelt in front of me and took a deep breath.

"I'm not warm or soft Bella, you are now cold and hard just like me." I could feel my jaw drop. _I'm like him now? _

"But how? Why?" Edwards eyes turned dark and his whole face seemed to crumple.

"I'm so sorry Bella. Please forgive me." Edward then jumped up and ran out of the hut and off into the jungle. I stood up and tried to go after him, but another voice beckoned to me.

"Bella, your injuries were too severe. You were moments away from dying and Edward bravely made the decision to change you. Your body spent two days healing and changing from a soft breakable human, to a much more durable, and beautiful I might add, vampire."

I let it all sink in. So this is what it felt like, to be unbreakable. I didn't feel a whole lot different, it was hard to put a finger on. I placed my hands on the cot and started to push myself up. The flimsy bed splintered in my grasp and I faltered a bit standing up. At least I'm not _as_ clumsy as I was when I was human.

"Careful Bella, you're much much stronger than you were before, and as a newborn vampire, stronger than most of us." I nodded in understanding. I was still trying to figure out Edward.

"But Carlisle?" He nodded, "why did Edward run away?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. _I guess I know where Edward picked up that habit._ He shifted his weight back and forth and came to stand in front of me.

"Bella, Edward has always had a struggle with the state of our souls. He felt like he was stealing your soul, your humanity, but he loved you too much to let you die. I think he felt like you were disappointed in your rebirth. His biggest fear is that you would hate him for changing you."

I huffed, _silly overreacting vampire._ "But I'm not disappointed. In fact I've wanted this since I realized that I love him." Carlisle broke into a wide boyish grin.

"Well, then lets not waste anymore time around here. Let's go find him."

We walked out of the hut and I picked up his scent right away, that wonderful aroma that was only Edward drifted into my nose and I was compelled to follow. I began jogging, something I never did as a human, it was much too dangerous. I easily leapt over fallen trees and I was thoroughly enjoying my enhanced sight.

Moving through space was not nearly as challenging as it used to be. We came to a point where the scent was strong but seemed to vanish. I looked around and saw nothing, until I glanced upward. Edward was crouched in the crook of a large tree some forty feet up. Without even thinking I grabbed hold of the tree and scampered up to where he was.

He looked at me with pained eyes, "give it to me. I can take it." I reached forward to cup his cheek with my hand. As I made contact he flinched a little, I think expecting me to slap him. But I held his face in my hands I and I gave it to him. Leaning forward I pressed my lips to his and once again enjoyed the now softer, warmer feel of his body.

He was shocked and his eyes flew open but I kept him pressed to my lips. He slowly began to relax and wrapped his arms around me. I slid my fingers from his cheeks up into his hair and grabbed two handfuls eliciting a groan from the glorious man in front of me.

We twisted and twined our arms around each other for what could've been hours, I really wasn't paying attention. It was nice not needing to breathe, it allowed us to maintain the connection for as long as we wanted.

I could feel his pace slowing and I carefully pulled back. His brow furrowed a bit and I tried to smile away his fears.

"I love you Edward."

"Bella," he was going to say something regrettable so I just shushed him with my finger to his lips.

"I love you and I'm not disappointed. You have given me exactly what I wanted, unless you don't want me anymore?" I hadn't yet entertained that thought. What if he left because he didn't want me?

"Don't be ridiculous, silly woman. I love you too. Of course I want you. Forever." _Those were the magic words_.

"And I, you. Forever." He planted another passionate kiss on my lips when a voice clearing from below brought us out of our reverie.

We climbed down the tree and made our way over to Carlisle.

"I think our family is anxious to see the new and improved Bella."

"Come on love, let's go."

"What about Angela and Ben? Are they still safe? And the crystal? Do you have it?"

"They're in Iquitos, Alice is searching for their location, I was able to get a few clues picked out of James and Victoria's heads, hopefully by the time we get to the city, Alice will have a location for us. Let's get you fed and try and find your friends."

He then grinned and pulled out the red stone from his pocket. We took off at a run towards our future.

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A/N: NO were not done yet. We still have loose ends to wrap up so REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW and maybe I'll be inspired to get another update or two out this week! Thanks again to everyone who is reading and reviewing!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay, so I can feel time just ticking away, there are a few things left to wrap up this story, and trust me you'll want to stick around til' the end. HOPEFULLY that will be before I pop this baby out next Thursday, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm dealing with a lot of fatigue and 3 other crazy boys. So bear with me, if the end doesn't come before my delivery, it won't be too long in coming. And I won't give up on the story. That's not my style. So hang in there and I'll do my best!**

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BPOV**

It was magnificent to watch the black cat meandering slowly through the forest, it was also mouth watering. While I had felt the scratchy burning in my throat, when Edward told me to turn myself over to instinct, the fire tore up my esophagus and begged to be quenched.

I stayed low in my crouch waiting for the opportune moment to strike. I had watched Edward take one animal down and felt somewhat confident that I could duplicate the action; maybe not with as much grace, but I could do it.

Feeling the moment coming, the muscles in my legs began coiling up ready to spring. The wind shifted briefly and blew my scent toward the creature causing it to tense. The increased activity in the cats blood only sweetened it and I felt myself launch at the animal.

In one swift motion I snapped the jaguars neck and sunk my teeth into the soft flesh of the animals neck. Taking deep draws I felt an immediate cooling of the fire in my throat. Pull after pull, the blood slid down my throat. I was relieved to find that blood, at least animal blood, was actually appealing. I still recall the rusty salt smell of the blood that I was covered in when I awoke to this life; my own blood.

I quickly located the animal that the jaguar had been stalking and took it down as well, draining it quickly. I was finally starting to feel sated and allowed myself to resume a more human stance. I glanced around quickly trying to locate Edward. He was leaning against a tree a good ways off but I could still see the proud smirk on his face.

He slowly made his way over to me and took one of my hands in his. He lifted his other hand and wiped a smudge away from the corner of my mouth. "Oops," was all I could say.

"Don't worry love, table manners come with practice and time." I knew I would have been flaming red had I still ben human. "You know, mountain lion is my preferred meal, I'm sure Jaguar is probably similar."

"Well, it was you who changed me, maybe I'll pick up some of your other more endearing traits. Who knows, maybe I'll start raking my hand through my hair too." I gave him a wink and looked around noticing that Carlisle was absent.

"Where did your father go?"

"He went ahead to prepare a better place to meet my family. It will probably be difficult for you to resist the pull of any warm blooded creature, most newborns struggle with thirst for at least a year."

_A year? I was going to feel this burning in my throat for a year? _I silently wished and hoped that I would not think about the thirst, I'd feed when I wanted and it would be enough. That was my hope at least.

Sensing my distress, Edward tried to reassure me, "don't worry Bella, my whole family will be with you to help you get through this." I just nodded and tried to put on my best smile.

"Let's get to the city hmmm?" He tugged me forward and we began to run, together. I thrilled at the speeds at which we were traveling at. I could vaguely remember this making me feel sick before, but it was like the memory was out of focus; I couldn't quite tune into it. I would have to ask Edward about this later, maybe something went wrong during my change. I continued to marvel as we sped by the foliage that should've been nothing but a blur, but my vision was perfect and reaction time was almost instantaneous. As we came up to the city limits we slowed down and Edward pulled out his phone. Before he had a chance to open it, it started ringing.

"Alice, what's up?"

I looked on with interest but Edward kept a straight face and listened carefully to what Alice was saying. His mouth, though, twitched down a little so I figured it couldn't be good. He snapped the phone closed and tried to force a smile in my direction.

"Edward, what is it, I know something is not right." He sighed and his shoulders slumped forward a bit.

"The two vampires from Volterra somehow got away from Emmett and Jasper. The Volturi are coming and they aren't interested in discussions. The intend to kill us all first and ask questions later."

"But what about my friends?" This had gone from one disaster to another. It appears my crummy luck has followed me even into this life.

"Alice thinks we have a day or two before they get here, but it's not much. Come on, my family is waiting for us and we can discuss all the options from there."

We jogged at a more human pace, skirting the more populous areas of the city. I was surprised though, I didn't feel the pull that Edward had described. I could smell the humans everywhere, but I just wasn't interested in them. _I guess my wish is coming true!_

Edward kept shooting nervous glances my way, almost like he was expecting me to go crazy at any minute and he'd have to stop me. But when I thought about it, I knew he _couldn't_ stop me, even if he wanted to. I had never felt so strong and powerful in my life. We finally arrived at the place Carlisle had arranged and walked in.

Everyone's head whipped in my direction and I could feel their stares. Alice was bouncing up and down in her seat, Jasper was smiling and gave me a nod. He seemed to look relieved, like it wasn't painful to be around me anymore. Carlisle and Esme looked as pleased as punch and Rosalie just gave me a curt nod, shook her head, and focused her attention elsewhere. It almost seemed like she was sad, like if she could've she would've shed a tear. It was Emmett though, that broke my analysis.

"Oohhh here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up. Ooohh here she comes, she's a _maneater...._" I rounded on Edward and pushed him hard in the chest. He doubled over having to grab on to Jasper to keep himself upright. _I am strong, it's almost kind of frightening._

"YOU TOLD? How could you do that?" I started pummeling his chest wanting to crawl into a hole and die all over again. Apparently becoming a vampire doesn't erase almost crippling shyness. "You promised you wouldn't say any..." Edward grabbed my flailing arms and held me still looking directly into my eyes. I could still hear Emmett chuckling in the background.

"Bella! I didn't say anything. Alice must have seen what happened and shared with everyone else." He shot a pointed look toward Alice who did look quite sheepish.

"Bella, please don't be mad, it was just too precious not to share! Besides, you're family now, so we really don't have any secrets." Alice took me a little off guard when she said that. _I'm family now? I wonder how that works with vampires? Am I supposed to get married to Edward now? I wonder how fast we can get to Vegas?_

I shook that thought off and returned to my previous mortification. Why did this family have to be all open and sharing? I wished that no one had any knowledge about that incident, second hand or otherwise; it was just too embarrassing.

I relaxed and Edward looked down strangely at the way he was holding my fists. He dropped my hands and I went over to where Emmett was. He had stopped his taunts and looked like he wanted to give me a hug. I tried to pull myself up to an intimidating stature, but lets face it, there aren't many who can be intimidating in front of Emmett.

I poked my finger at him and said with all seriousness, "not another word of that incident EVER again. Understood?" He looked at me a bit confused and responded, "what incident? What are you talking about Bella?" Now he was just playing with me.

"You know darn well what I'm talking about!" I threw my hands on my hips and turned to Alice.

"Alice how about we keep the most embarrassing moments of my whole life a secret next time? I'd rather not be the butt of anymore of Emmett's jokes."

"Bella? What did I tell? I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Please stop joking! Just...nobody mention it ever again."

"Bella," Jasper started, "I know you're feeling frustrated, but everyone else is just confused. We really don't know what you're talking about."

"Edward, you were there, you know exactly what I mean right?" I was surely not going crazy. I needed to know what was going on. Edward would back me up, for crying out loud, he was practically the drug dealer.

"I'm sorry Bella, I don't recall anything embarrassing happening." He looked genuinely confused and sorry that he didn't remember.

"ARRRrrrggh! This is so annoying." What is going on? He was there, he saw me act like a complete fool and now he can't remember? _Wait a minute. I wished no one could remember that. Did I turn into a freaking vampire genie? Where's my bottle? I've granted two of my own wishes._

I was still stewing in my thoughts when I noticed Edward talking to Carlisle. I walked over to Edward and tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I try something?"

He nodded and turned to face me. I put my hand on his cheek and wished that he remembered everything that happened in the downed airplane. I pulled away and looked at him. "Do you remember now?" He scrunched his face a little and then as if a lightbulb was turned on he began nodding.

"Yes! How did you do that? What were you thinking when you touched my cheek?"

"I wished that you would remember everything that happened in the wrecked airplane." I shrugged my shoulder not understanding the implications of what I'd just done.

"What happened in the airplane?" Emmett asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. Edward and I both turned at the same time and said, "NOTHING!"

Edward then turned to Carlisle and began discussing what had just happened. Carlisle came to my side and asked if I had wished for anything else since waking up. I explained that I wished that I wouldn't feel the crazy thirst of a newborn, and that no one would remember the airplane incident.

"And you were able to restore that memory to just Edward, is that correct everyone? No one else can recall anything about a wrecked airplane?" Everyone else nodded and Carlisle began stroking his chin, in deep concentration.

We spent the rest of the afternoon experimenting with my new talent. The way Carlisle explained it, I could cover up any memories or thoughts I wanted to and it would be as if they never happened. I guess that would come in handy when I embarrassed myself again. I decided to keep the airplane memory between me and Edward. It seemed that neither Edward's or Alice's power could 'unearth' the memory that I had concealed. Carlisle considered that most significant though I didn't really understand why.

I was starting to feel a bit drained mentally and asked if we could take a break. I walked over to Alice and tucked myself next to her. "Have you had any luck locating my friends?"

"It's hard because first off, they're human. It's harder for me to get a read on humans. Second, I don't know what they look like, which makes it a little more difficult as well."

I jumped up and grabbed my bag rummaging through it. Finally I found my wallet and flipped to the picture of the three of us at our graduation. I thrust the photo into Alice's hands.

"This should help, thanks Bella."

"Just try your hardest. I would feel guilty for _forever_ if something has happened to them."

She nodded and focused on the picture. Without warning her eyes closed and her body went limp.

"Alice!" I cried, not ever having really witnessed one of her visions, I was caught off guard.

Jasper was at her side in an instant and tried to reassure me that this was pretty normal. She mumbled a bit and her head moved around like she was looking for something. After several minutes she regained her senses and had a hopeful look on her face.

"I think I know where they are, and it's not far from here."

We all jumped up and were ready to go. Emmett was pounding his fist into his palm just itching for another fight, I'm sure. Jasper was quiet, probably planning strategies, Rosalie was resigned and Carlisle and Esme just seemed determined. Edward came up to my side and squeezed my hand.

I felt all my muscles relax and my fears didn't seem as potent as they were when he was not by my side. "Thank you," I pressed a small kiss to his cheek and smiled.

"For what?" He chuckled.

"Just for wanting me, for sticking with me."

"There's no other place I'd rather be. There's no other place I _could_ be." He took my face in his hands and gave me a knee buckling, lip searing kiss that left me breathless. "Glad to know I can still dazzle you." He winked at me. Again! _Stupid winking vampire._

Alice sidled up next to me and handed me a pair of sunglasses. I looked at her and was about to ask why? When she answered, "Bella, have you seen your eyes? Ben and Angela are going to be a little freaked out by that since the vampires that have kept them hostage have eyes like yours too." She then handed me a compact with a mirror.

I flipped open the little disc and gasped at my reflection. My eyes were bright red. Even I was freaked out. "How long will that last? Why aren't my eyes like yours?"

Edward turned me towards him and explained about the remnants of my human blood needing to work itself out of my system and as long as I drank animal blood my eyes would turn a golden color like theirs in about a year. _What is it with everything happening in about a year?_

I took the glasses and shoved them on my face. "Let's not waste anymore time. My friends are in trouble."

**Shack on the outskirts of Iquitos**

Victoria and James still hadn't returned. Laurent was getting tired of babysitting these pathetic humans. He was repulsed by having to feed them regular human food, but he was rather fond of living and didn't want to risk James' wrath.

"Please can you loosen the ties on my wrists?" The girl was whining again. If he didn't know his friends tempers, he would've already taken care of these pitiful creatures.

"Shut up!" He screamed. They should've already been back. Something must have happened to one or both of them. He decided if no one returned within the hour, he was going to have dinner.

Laurent began stalking around the girl, Angela. Occasionally he would lean in and sniff her, or run a cold finger over her cheek. This would enrage the male, Ben, which Laurent found quite amusing.

As his impatience mounted he checked his watch one last time. Angela was trembling, seeming to have felt the change in atmosphere. Ben was screaming at Laurent to leave her alone. But this only elicited a cold laugh from the vampire.

"Time is up children. I'm hungry and so very done watching you." He leaned over Angela and began moving her hair away from her neck. He could hear her heart pounding, the adrenaline pumping through her system making her blood all the more sweet.

"This should be delicious," he whispered in her ear causing her to whimper. The tears were streaming down her face and Ben had nearly toppled himself over in the chair he was tied to, just trying to get to Angela.

"I love you Ben, always."

"Angie, Noooo!"

Laurent gripped her by the hair and pulled her head back exposing the creamy skin of her neck. He would certainly enjoy this meal. He bared his teeth and moved as if he was in slow motion.

The door to the shack was then flung open. Laurent was pulled away from Angela and horrible loud shrieking noise could be heard from the front room of the small building. Bella ran to her friend and carefully began untying her wrists and feet. Edward worked on freeing Ben and as soon as they were free, Bella encased Angela in a tight hug, careful not to crush her.

"Bella? Is it really you? Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Oh Angela thank goodness I was so worried."

Ben and Angela fell into each other holding on for dear life. They were safe. At least they thought so.

"Come on, let's get them out of here. Emmett and Jasper will take care of the other one," Edward whispered to Bella.

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A/N: So please make my day and send lots of reviews...I know some of you were hoping for Ben and Angela's reactions to Bella, we'll get that next chapter. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello wonderful readers! I wanted to give you one last chapter before I go into the hospital on Thursday! I know it's short, but at least is something. Please rest assured that it's not finished, but is close, and I will not give up on it. It just might be a little more than a week or so before the next update. Thanks again to my AWESOME Beta, SweetThunder, for some great additions to this chapter!**

**I hope you enjoy this one!**

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BPOV**

We quickly made our way back to the safe house Carlisle had brought us to before. Angela and Ben were quite shaken, hungry and fairly mistreated. Carlisle took the time to look over and treat their injuries, making sure none of them were serious.

My two friends looked around, mouths agape at the obvious beauty of my new family. I hadn't really considered their impact as a group, but I could see that the Cullens, en masse, was a bit overwhelming. Once introductions had been made Angela came over to me and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "Bella, I'm so glad you're okay, why did it take you so long to get here? Who are the Cullens? How do you know them?" Angela was characteristically concerned for me and my welfare, and the crazy impossible situation I found myself in now.

"I'm so sorry Ange, I left Seattle the very night you called, but I encountered some...delays." I still had my sunglasses on so she hadn't yet noticed my eyes. I wondered if she'd noticed any of the other physical changes I had endured.

She pulled back from me and cocked her head to the side. "What kind of delays? And why are you still wearing sunglasses? We are inside you know?" She had that semi-playful air that had made it so easy to be her friend.

"Angie, you know what the people who were holding you hostage were right?" I could see the shudder that ran through her body as she closed her eyes and nodded.

"Well, one of them, the woman came after me and the Cullens, Edward especially, came to my rescue."

"Thank you Edward, I couldn't have lived with myself knowing I was the reason my friend was here. If she had been hurt or worse..." Her eyes then shot up in disbelief as she turned back to me, "but how did they stop her? They were so strong?" I knew this would be where things got a little delicate. How could I let her know that she was still safe with the Cullens, with _me_?

"Well, the Cullens are also vampires." I cringed back waiting for her response.

"WHAT?!?" She started backing up while Ben threw an arm around her in a protective stance as they both pressed against the wall of the room we were in.

I reached forward towards her and she made to grab my hand and pull me to 'safety'. I took her hand and I think it was then that she finally noticed the glaring temperature difference between us. "Why are you so cold? What is going on Bella?" I didn't need Jasper's gift to be able to tell that Angela was starting to freak out.

I began to feel a warm calmness floating through the room and silently thanked Jasper for the tempering of emotions.

"Angela, the Cullens don't drink human blood. I promise they won't hurt you or Ben." She seemed to relax a little but was still on her guard. "I met the Cullens on the plane and we just had an...I can't explain it, a connection? Edward wanted to help me, especially when he found out about what you had sent me and realized that both of you were in danger. We decided to go after the crystal ourselves, which by the way, you have no idea what trouble that little rock has caused. Just after retrieving the rock from the cave you had put it in, James and Victoria caught us off guard. Edward tried to fight both of them, but he couldn't keep them away from me entirely."

At this point I saw Edward's agony at the memory of the fight. I reached over and tried to soothe him with my touch.

"They banged me up pretty good and I was minutes away from dying, so Edward changed me...He saved me." I looked on him with as much love as I could silently portray and squeezed his hand. Carefully, I reached up and took my glasses off. I kept my eyelids closed and waited for a moment before I slowly opened them to my friend. Just as I had reacted, she gasped. I heard Ben whisper a quiet, "oh my gosh".

I sat still as a statue, as did the rest of the Cullens. Nobody moved. We were all waiting for Angela and Ben to process what I had just told them. Edward whispered softly and at vampire speed, "just give them a minute love, she's working it out. She just needs a bit of time." I nodded imperceptibly.

Edward began to chuckle softly and I gave him a questioning look. He shook his head slightly but kept a crooked smile plastered to his face. Angela straightened up and took a step towards us. Looking directly at Edward she asked, "do you love her?" I was so taken aback by this question I felt my jaw go slack.

"With everything that I am. I love her completely," Edward affirmed. Angela nodded once and furrowed her brow. She looked at me with softer eyes and tried to smile. "Are you happy Bella? I mean, really?" I began to smile, Angela hadn't changed at all, she was still looking out for her best friend, making sure she was alright, that she wasn't hooked up with some jerk.

"I truly am Angela. I've never been more happy in my life. I feel so...right. I've never felt more like my true self than I do now." Her smile grew warmer and she came and sat next to me. "So I guess I know why you're so cold huh?" I nodded and gently took her hand. She shivered a bit and then began to examine my fingers. "Your skin is so much harder," she mused. "What's it like?" She whispered.

I sat and thought about that for a minute. So far it had been amazing, I don't know if that was because of the talent I had discovered, or because of Edward, but since waking up a vampire, I felt really good.

"It's like nothing I ever could've imagined. I feel so strong and powerful, and even a little graceful. I'm only a fraction as clumsy as I was before." Angela more tentatively gave me a hug and whispered that she was happy for me.

I noticed a flurry of activity over where Alice was sitting. I could see her eyes and knew she was having a vision. I looked at Edward who was concentrating on the scene playing out in Alice's mind. I touched my hand to his arm trying to elicit some kind of response. He reached up and grasped my hand but nothing more.

Angela and Ben exchanged glances and tried to understand what was going on. Just then Alice shot up and declared, "they're here. Just outside of Iquitos."

Everything began happening all at once. Edward grabbed me by the shoulders and said, "you have to take Angela and Ben and get out of here. The Volturi cannot know anything about you."

"But why? I can't leave you. I won't leave you!" I was starting to panic.

"Bella, you have to remove every memory of you, Angela, and Ben from my family's minds. It's the only way to keep you safe."

"NO! If I do that then you would be lost to me. Is that what you want?" I was gripping his shoulders so tightly my fingers punctured his shirt.

"Of course not Bella, but Aro is with them, and he can know every single thought any one has ever had by a simple touch." He was shaking his head back and forth.

"Then I'll use my gift on him, I'll make him forget why he came." I was desperate for anyway we could stay together. I couldn't lose him now, I don't think I could survive.

Carlisle came over shaking his head, "Bella, the Volturi have a powerful physical shield. We have no idea if they've acquired a mental shield as well. If they have and we expose you, they will no doubt try and take you away. We can't risk that, trust me, you want no part of the Volturi. Even now I don't know how powerful your gift would be against Aro's. You are still at risk here."

I felt broken and defeated. I looked up into Edward's eyes and saw the pain this was causing him, but he was trying to be strong. Had I still been human my face would be wet with a cascade of tears, but none would come. All I could do was grab on to him and hold him tightly.

Alice came to our side, "Bella, get some brown contact lenses, until then wear the shades. Keep Ben and Angela safe, take away all their memories of vampires, they will have a long and happy life. I've seen that much. And don't worry, we'll find you, some how we will. Hurry, they're almost here."

A ragged sob exploded from my chest and I nearly collapsed. Edward lifted me back to my feet and roughly grasped my face in his hands. "I will find you. Never doubt that, I love you." He crashed his lips to mine and I automatically threw my arms around his neck. Desperately I ran my hands through his hair and over his features trying to memorize every feeling I had. Vowing to never forget each line, plane and angle of his beautiful face, just in case we were never reunited.

We parted and Alice screeched, "GO!" I grabbed Angela's hand and we ran from the house. As soon as we were outside I searched out each memory of Bella Swan in the Cullen's collective minds and removed every last trace of myself. They would have no recollection of me or any interaction we had ever had.

I then replaced my shades and turned to my two friends. I sifted through all their experiences with James, Victoria and Laurent, the Cullens, my change, and eradicated all of those memories from them. They wouldn't remember what happened.

I began walking quickly toward the main part of town, Angela and Ben following after me. "Let's get a taxi and get you back to the peace corps camp."

"Oh Bella, I'm so glad you found us!"

"I am too Ange." As we drove through the crowded streets,I thought about all I had gained and lost so quickly; how I could feel my heart breaking into a million pieces with this sacrifice, but I had to do it for my best friend, and for my new family. "I am too."

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A/N: *Ducks and runs for cover* Yes, I now it's so evil and mean to leave for a slightly extended period of time with such a cliffie, but what can I say that's my style. I hope you liked it and I hope that you REVIEW!!! ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry I've been out of commission for a little while, an unexpected C-section put me down a little longer than I had hoped, and I've had a full house so this is the first minute when I've had a chance to sit down and write. **

**Sorry I left you all hanging at the end of the last chapter...but not really. So now lets see what happens next...**

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BPOV**

I gave Angela another quick hug and got into the taxi. I'd spent a day visiting with Ben and Angela at the camp. I tried to be interested in the projects they were involved with, but my efforts were mediocre at best. I tried to play it off on being tired, but that was obviously not the cause of my distance. My heart and brain were firmly settled with a man I may never see again. As the cab pulled away, I waved goodbye to Angela and Ben. I would probably never see them again. I had to go back to Seattle, pick up what I could of my former life, and somehow figure out how to be a modern day vampire, all by myself.

As we drove through the crowded streets to the airport, I finally let myself relax a bit. Had I still been able to cry I'm sure my face would be streaked with tears. Unfortunately, all I felt was an aching in my eyes and chest. If I tried I could almost pretend to have one of those fantastically violent shudders that rack every part of your body; but I didn't even have the emotional energy left to do that.

I purchased my ticket back to Seattle and climbed aboard the airplane. I had no more of the anxiety or nervousness I did when I journeyed to South America, I was indestructible, too bad no one told that to my heart.

I felt so stupid for not exchanging any kind of contact information with the Cullens. I would just have to hope and pray that somehow they would find me again. The flight felt so much longer without the ability to sleep through half of it. I was aware of all the pumping hearts around me, the sweet smell of the blood coursing through a hundred and twenty warm bodies was truly delectable.

I now had a much greater respect for Edward. How he managed to not kill me the second I sat down in first class was beyond me. I directed my thoughts and desires elsewhere and managed to reduce the burn in my throat to a dull throbbing.

The flight attendant stopped by, trying to ply drinks and snacks on me. I waved her off and wrinkled my nose a bit, human food really did have a repulsive smell to me now. I used to love honey roasted peanuts.

Sixteen hours later and we finally touched down at SEA-TAC. I quickly exited the aircraft and took a gulp of delicious moist pacific northwest air. I smiled softly as I took in that unique 'just-before- it-rains' smell. I was home, but it felt empty. I would never really feel at home anymore without _him_ by my side.

The depression threatened to take over again, but I squared my shoulders and made my way through the airport. Thankfully I didn't have to muddle through the baggage claim, with only my messenger bag left I hailed a cab and made my way to the optician. I picked up several boxes of non-prescription brown contacts and headed to my apartment.

I was lucky that it was overcast, but still daytime. I didn't look like a total wacko by wearing sunglasses in public. The walk from the store to my home was foggy, but still familiar. I recall in one of our conversations _he_ had said that human memories fade. I was just glad I could remember my address and how to get there.

As I took the stairs up to my floor I passed Mrs. Chang. "Oh! Herro brown hair girl. You back from vacation? The Porice leave you place a mess."

"Hi Mrs. Chang, yeah, I know I've got a lot to clean up. How are the cats?"

"Velly good, I hope you have time write me 'nother steamy book. Night dear!" She shuffled down the hallway, her fluffy slippers fwapping on the worn carpet.

I sighed as I approached my door. I couldn't remember exactly what was waiting for me, but I knew it wasn't good. I needed to find a new place to live. There was too much here to remind me of why I had even set off on my journey in the first place. I turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. I was assaulted with the stink of Victoria, and was immediately brought to my knees. I shook with my unfulfilled sobs, mourning the love and life that I had given up. I realized that I had crushed my keys into a golf ball sized lump. I needed help, something familiar, some tangible thing I could ground myself with. I really needed my Mom.

Slowly I stood up and surveyed the tiny apartment concluding quickly that Mrs. Chang was right. The living area was completely overturned, the couch cushions torn and stuffing exploding from the ripped seams. My bookshelf was knocked on its side, all the volumes in a pile on the floor. My pillows and bed were destroyed and all the kitchen cupboards were thrown open, their contents strewn all over the counter and floor.

I found a few boxes and began to pack them full of books. There was no sense in putting them back on the shelves and they were really the only things I cared much about. I packed a few mementoes, family pictures, and my journals. I spent the rest of the night sifting through the rubble and packing the clothes I wanted to take with me.

When it was sufficiently "late" in the morning, I gave my agent Jessica a call. She would no doubt be a bit worried by my absence, though it was not completely uncharacteristic of me to 'disappear' for days, even weeks at a time. If I was on a roll writing a story, I wouldn't surface until either the story was done or I hit a wall.

I picked up my old corded phone and pushed the speed dial listed on the panel for Jessica. After three rings she picked up.

"Jess? It's Bella."

"Oooohh my heavens, Bella! Are you okay? Where on earth have you been?"

"It's a long story Jess. I had to take a trip to South America, an old friend was in some trouble."

"Wait, you left your apartment, got on a plane, and went to a foreign country?" Her voice rose in pitch and volume with each assertion.

I gave a mirthless chuckle, "yes Ms. Stanley. I did all of those things and was only slightly paralyzed. Anyhow, that's all done and behind me. I'm going to be moving to a new apartment, so I'll be out of commission for a few days. I also have to get a new phone, mine died on the trip. I'll call you with my new numbers."

"You'd better. And I hope you have a new story idea for me. The publishers loved the last one and are chomping at the bit for more. Call me soon, ciao!" The phone clicked and I hung up.

I groaned inwardly, dreading the idea of writing more romantic drivel. But I guess I had to find something to do with my time, and I sure would have plenty of nothing _but_ time. I steeled myself to make my next call.

I didn't want to scare Renee, but I needed her. I picked up the phone one more time and called my Mom. "Mom? It's Bella...I know...too long...I just, well, I'm moving apartments, and I just hoped that you would want to come and...yes, that would be wonderful...I'll meet you at the airport tomorrow morning." Just knowing she was on her way gave me a rush of relief. I hadn't seen her in years, so maybe she wouldn't be too stunned by my appearance. She was always more like a best friend than a parent to me and I just really needed someone right now.

The next few days were spent apartment hunting and shopping at the flea market. I was lucky to find a one bedroom place a little bigger than my studio for the same price, so I jumped on it. Moving boxes with my new found strength was a lot easier. I also appreciated the increased grace and dexterity that had come with my change.

I was able to score a couch, a writing desk, and a chair from a second hand store. I really didn't need much else in the way of furniture, though I did get a bed so I wouldn't raise too many red flags. Renee was having a ball picking out drapes, painting, and finding matching pillows. I could've lived in a white box with a bed and a desk and been just fine, but it made her happy to help decorate and she always did have an eye for unique home design.

She had been a little taken aback by my appearance at first, but I kind of covered up her first impression of my new look when we met in the airport and she thought something wasn't right. So now we could just have a great time and I wouldn't have to worry about her suspicions. She was more interested in my new workout regime. I didn't tell her that it involved a lot of running out in the forest and hunting large game with my bare hands. My eyes were starting to turn that beautiful shade of caramel and pretty soon I would be able to ditch the contacts.

I had my phone switched and picked up a new cell. I was starting to feel a little more like myself again. I felt like I could somehow live in this world. I realized that I would be around for a long time, a really long time, and hopefully Edward would too. I felt deep down that, even if it took centuries, we would find each other. I told myself that every morning, and that's how I got through each day. After Renee went home, I finally made my call to Jessica. I sat down at my desk and popped open my laptop.

I let my fingers rest on the keys while thoughts of South America swirled through my head. I closed my eyes and tried to remember everything from the moment I stepped on the plane to Peru. It seemed that I could remember everything that included Edward. He seemed to be the axis that my world spun on, without him here nothing really mattered anymore.

Sooner than I wanted I began typing. I ignored the phone, the knocks on the door, I returned to my former hermit self. I wrote constantly, stopping only for brief hunting trips every three or four weeks. I had completely lost track of time. I just kept pushing on and on trying to lose myself in the world I was creating on paper. I could type so fast that the processor couldn't keep up. I had to hold myself back a little so that the keyboard didn't break.

I would've cried at the ending I had created, but there were no tears. I hoped that it would come true. But after six months of hearing nothing from the Cullens, my hopes were fading quickly. As the last page of my story printed out I gathered my bag and threw on a jacket, trying to keep up appearances.

I walked slowly into Jessica's office, bracing myself for the lecture I was about to receive. Sure enough, when I clicked the door shut she rounded on me waving her hands and going on and on about me disappearing again. I reached in my bag and pulled out the finished manuscript pushing it across her desk.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jessica stammered a bit but finally got control of herself. Never one to be pushed out of the center of attention she sat up a little straighter, pulled back her shoulders and she immediately dove into the first chapter.

"I'll just leave you to it. Call me when you get to the last chapter."

She waved her hand in dismissal and I headed out the door. It was a splendidly overcast day so I made my way to a park and sat down on a bench. I was pleased with the story; with _my_ story. I was finally proud of a book that I had written. I wrote what mattered most to me, _Edward_.

My mind was flooded with concern as soon as I thought his name. Was he safe? Did I do a good enough job wiping away the memory of me? Is there any trail of bread crumbs to bring him back to me?

Weeks went by, my story was edited and the publisher loved it so much they asked for a sequel. I wasn't sure what I would write about; it hadn't happened yet. When it came to Edward, I couldn't write what wasn't real.

I'll admit I was a little bit excited that my book was out on the shelves. I was scheduled to make a few guest appearances locally to promote the book, and while I tried to be personable, my vampire qualities, the ones that put people on edge, solidified my reputation as a recluse.

I decided I needed to get out of the city. I packed a small bag and headed for the Olympic National forest. I picked up a small tent, once again to keep up appearances, and settled in for a few good weeks of solitude.

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**A/N: You guys know what to do know...If I don't hear from ya'll Edward might get burned up by the Volturi and the rest of the Cullens go crazy and Victoria finds Bella and they become BFF's. So let me know what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I know I know, it's been like a hundred years since the last update. I'm healing really well from the c-section, but sorry, life, 4 kids, swimming lessons, family visiting, and I painted three rooms in my house, all that kind of got in the way of writing. So things are starting to get back to normal and now here's what Edward's been doing. **

**And just to clarify, Bella's gift does require some proximity to work. She can't just wish upon a star and have the Cullens remember everything. Plus she doesn't want to put them in danger, that's half the reason she took their memories of her away.**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews and to my Beta, Sweetthunder, for helping me hammer this chapter out!**

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EPOV**

For a brief moment time seemed to stop and my mind went blank. I wondered for a second if I was having some kind of "episode", but I brushed that thought away when Alice insisted we get a plan in place.

The Volturi were close and they weren't in the mood to talk; it was going to be kill first ask questions later. It was decided that we would split up, all the couples would stay together and I'd go along with Carlisle and Esme. We planned to evade the Volturi guard and take them on a wild goose chase, making our way to Italy where we'd meet back up.

Alice was fairly certain that the three brothers were nearly completely atrophied, and were stuck in Volterra, which made things easier. With our gifts we would be able to evade the guard without a problem.

"Be safe," Carlisle cautioned everyone, and with that we took off running in three different directions. We were still close enough to the shack that I could hear the angry thoughts of Jane and Alec.

_They must have split up, you two follow that trail, Hesperia take Felix and go that way, Alec and I will follow dear old Carlisle. We can't be far behind, the scent is too fresh, and remember Aro's orders, get the crystal at ANY cost._

I winced at the malice dripping from her voice and her thoughts. We ran silently making our way to the Brazilian coast line. I steeled myself for the onslaught of humanity as we boarded a flight to Portugal leaving from Rio de Janeiro. For some reason though, I wasn't nervous about being surrounded by all the blood; I had been more severely tempted before. I was sure nothing on this flight would shake my control. Once we landed we got a call from Alice, she and Jasper had successfully shaken the pair following them and were on their way to Italy. Rose and Emmett had yet to check in.

While his cool façade was in place, I could see the turmoil in Carlisle's face. This business with the crystal may have already torn our family apart. Esme was frantic, we couldn't leave the airport yet because of the sun and it was maddening to have to sit and wait, trapped by our very nature. I paced nervously, nearly wearing a hole in the flimsy carpet in the airport cantina. Without warning, I was overcome with a sadness, a desperation almost. I had never felt such a profound emptiness but I couldn't figure out why I was feeling this way. Nothing in my existence had changed, our family dynamic was the same, but I couldn't help but feel dragged down by this sadness.

Carlisle came to my side noticing the change in my posture. "Edward? Are you alright?"

"I don't know Carlisle. I just feel awful but I have no idea why."

"Are you thirsty?" He whispered quietly.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's almost like a vital part of me is missing."

"Strange," he began stroking his chin in contemplation, "let me know if it changes." I nodded and continued to ponder what I was feeling.

Esme was wringing her hands together while Carlisle was staring at his phone, willing it, it seemed, to ring with news of Emmett and Rose.

The sun finally descended low enough for us to leave the confines of the airport. I had already called the rental company and secured a very fast Audi A4, it was ready and waiting for us when we exited the airport. The rental agent asked very few questions, sensing our urgency, it didn't help any that I looked at her like she was my next meal. We were hurried away from the rental counter and on our way to Volterra in no time. Carlisle, wanting to be close to Esme allowed me to drive, I floored the gas pedal and tried to steer my mind away from the depressing thoughts that were beginning to consume me.

Carlisle's phone began to ring and I though Esme might shatter the small device with the force she used to flip it open. I was too focused on the road and my own thoughts to put much effort into eavesdropping on the phone conversation. I relaxed some though when I heard Esme's thoughts of _thank heavens they're alright._

I was thankful for the slightly overcast weather we had passing through the Provence region in France. It was one of my favorite areas, if only for the vibrant colors of the countryside. The vast fields of sunflowers and lavender were breathtaking, as were the rolling hills covered with vineyards and rustic villages. If it weren't so sunny I wouldn't mind living there.

I parked the car outside the walls of the city and we used the cover of night to move quickly to our meeting place. Apparently we were the last to arrive. Esme engulfed Rose and Emmett in a forceful hug and made them swear to never make her worry again.

I noticed a statuesque woman with violet eyes gliding through the square and could smell her distinct vampire essence. I nudged Carlisle who glanced her direction.

"That's Heidi, she's the Volturi's huntress. She uses her beauty and charm to lure tourists into the castle, where they become, well..lunch. She's quite good at what she does. No other vampire has been as successful as she has."

"So she would be an important person in the castle then?" I inquired.

"Genius!" Alice piped up, "grab her Edward, it will totally work."

I listened carefully to her train of thought, keeping myself down wind, so as not to alert her to my presence. When she was thoroughly distracted I grabbed her from behind muffling her mouth with my hand. I had to growl though when her sharp teeth bit into my palm. I hissed in her ear, "if you don't want to become a pile of ashes I suggest you not do that again."

A low growl issued from her throat but she stopped fighting me. Emmett pulled out his zippo and held the flame close to Heidi's hair. We then walked slowly to the front doors of the Volturi castle.

Jasper plowed through the doors and headed straight past the frail human receptionist. She shot up in her seat and began stammering about appointments and propriety but all it took was a single scathing look from Rosalie to shut her up. With our hostage in tow we followed Carlisle to the throne room. We marched into the dark stone chamber and I was taken aback at the sight before us.

Marcus appeared almost gargoyle-like, hunched over with his fingers curled around the arm rests of his throne. I listened for his thoughts but there was very little activity in his mind despite our abrupt entrance. Caius's posture was haughty and disdainful, leaning back against his throne with his head turned as if he was smelling the foulest odor. His thoughts were much more active. He was seething at our impertinence, barging into their sanctuary and taking hostages, however, he remained just as still as Marcus.

Aro, on the other hand still had some small amount of control over his facial expression. His eyebrow shot up at our arrival and his thoughts were typically curious and intrigued.

"Carlisle, old friend," Aro whispered. His voice reminded me of the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, before Dorothy found his oil can.

"Aro call off your guard, we have what was taken and will gladly return it in exchange for our safety."

I hadn't noticed but we were surrounded by dark figures shrouded in charcoal grey cloaks. I looked pointedly at Aro and Emmett moved the lighter even close to Heidi's figure, causing a nervous squeak to escape her lips. Aro's eyes connected with one of the guard who seemed to get the message and they retreated back to their positions around the room.

I made eye contact with Emmet and he took over restraining Heidi and I reached into my pocket and pulled out the crystal. Aro's eyes grew as wide as saucers and Caius's thoughts went into overdrive. Even Marcus was stirred into semi-consciousness.

"This is what you have been after is it not?" I rolled the stone in my fingers letting the bit of light in the room to refract against it.

_Yes boy, of course it is, now bring it closer._

"I must have your word, bound by all you hold sacred, that my entire family will be left in peace."

_Done! None of you shall be harmed if I discern from your thoughts you had no intentions to use the stone against us or our world._

"We have only ever desired to return the crystal to it's rightful owners." With that I slowly walked toward the ancient. As I got closer it was like watching a statue come to life, the stony skin began to crack and movement returned to the once still figure. When I touched the crystal to Aro's palm it was as if an electric charge ran through his hand traveling with such force and speed it nearly knocked him over.

Aro sucked in a huge breath and growled in delighted satisfaction. "Ahhhhhhhh, yes, YES!" He stretched his arms and took the crystal that I held up in my outstretched hand. "Here my brothers, take back your strength, your life. Drink it in my fellows."

I stepped back and watched as Marcus and Caius seemed to come back to life. Their joints cracked and groaned as their mobility returned. It was an odd process to watch, I looked over and could tell that Carlisle was just as fascinated as I was.

Aro beckoned me forward and reached out his hand. I turned my palm up and allowed him to take hold. I knew there was nothing in my mind that would betray us so I had nothing to fear.

"Jane spoke of a human traveling with you." I looked at him with what was probably the most genuinely confused expression anyone could muster.

"You have access to every thought and experience I've ever had, there was no one else with us."

His brow furrowed and he seemed to concentrate even harder on sifting through my thoughts. Annoyance and frustration played over his features but he found nothing with which to incriminate us.

"Aro," Carlisle spoke up, "if there is nothing more, we are happy to have been of service in maintaining order in our world, but we'd very much like to return to our lives and obligations." A slight bow in deference to Aro's position was sure to feed his ego.

"And what are you up to now my good friend?" Aro asked with amusement in his voice.

"I'm working with the 'doctors without borders' program and the rest of my family is serving in the peace corps. We've had to fabricate quite a story to get the time away to make this journey."

Caius let out a derisive snort, "Always the do-gooder aren't you Carlisle?"

"Very well my friend, take your family and return to your activities. Your loyalty and help to the Volturi will not be forgotten." He made a sweeping gesture toward the door and we all turned to leave. Emmett closed the lighter and pushed Heidi toward the other guard. She hissed but made no move to retaliate.

As I was about to cross the threshold of the throne room Marcus called out, " Edward, who is your mate?"

I whipped around and cocked my head to the side, "I have no mate."

"Interesting," he mused.

"Brother, why do you ask about Young Edward's mate when there is clearly no one of the sort?"

"I see the ties that bind him to his coven but there is one thread, much stronger, thicker, that binds him to another, though I cannot see...." he trailed off.

I couldn't understand what he was talking about. I was the lone man of our family, I had resigned myself to that fate long ago.

"Marcus, enough with your hocus pocus, let the poor boy go." Marcus then shut down and Aro waved his hand dismissively.

Alice pulled my hand and led me out of the room and through the labyrinthian hallways of the castle. I was in a fog, but what Marcus had said struck a chord with me.

True to their word, the Volturi left us in peace and we returned to our duties in the peace corps, though Carlisle requested a change in location and we ended up in Madagascar. While it was enjoyable to serve the people and help in ways that most aren't able to, I still couldn't help but feel completely unfulfilled.

Carlisle was thoroughly enjoying teaching the local doctors new techniques, Esme was completely in her element helping the women in our assigned area plant gardens. Rosalie and Emmett were loving their jobs. Rose was teaching the children in the village school and Emmett was helping the men drill wells and setting up irrigation for the gardens. Alice and Jasper were making huge strides in conservation efforts, and it kept Jasper far enough away from humans that he didn't struggle with his control. I drifted from assignment to assignment completing everything that was asked of me all the while longing for what was missing inside of me. Months went by and our time with the corps was coming to an end.

We were heading back to Forks to pack up the house and then on to our home in Alaska. We had to take a commercial flight to New York, but we planned on chartering a plane from there to Washington. I was looking forward to getting back to normal life, though I'd have to redefine what normal was.

I told my family I'd meet them at the private hanger, I just needed some space. For once I reveled in the buzz of the thousands of humans moving around JFK airport. I allowed the hum to infiltrate my mind and wandered aimlessly through the corridors. I was a bit surprised when I found myself in front of a news stand. I scanned the papers and magazines but nothing captured my interest.

I was turning to leave when the cover of a book on the bottom shelf of the register stand caught my eye. I leaned over an picked it up. I chuckled to myself when I read the title, "_Forbidden Treasure". _I shook my head and moved to replace the book back on the shelf when I read the author, _Isabella Swan._ Huh. I reached down again but I couldn't let the book go.

Maybe Alice would like some alternate reading material for the flight home. I placed the book on the counter and shrugged my shoulders at the clerk. Her thoughts were hilarious, pegging me either for being gay or having a girlfriend who liked trashy romance novels.

I tucked the book into my bag and made my way quickly to the private hanger. About halfway through the flight, my ear buds were unceremoniously yanked from my ears and Alice stood above me in all her 4'11" glory.

"What in the world Edward!" She flapped her arms wildly.

"Can I have my music back?" I asked with my hand out.

"_Forbidden Treasure? _Really Edward, I had you pegged for more of the classics kind of guy." She smirked.

"I wasn't planning on reading it, but I just couldn't put it back on the shelf. It was only ten bucks, so whatever..."

"Do you mind then?" Alice asked, bouncing on her toes.

"It's all yours. Now, can I have my ear buds back please?" She tossed my ear buds back in my lap and danced back to her seat. I closed my eyes and tried to get lost in the music. It seemed like it was only a few minutes later that we were touching down in Washington. As I sat up I opened my eyes and was startled by Alice's nose mere inches from my face. She thrust the book into my chest and said, "You have to read this Edward. I don't know why but it's important. I've seen that much, but everything else that I can see regarding this book is hazy."

"Alice," I groaned, "I do not want to read some smutty novel designed to make housewives swoon."

"Just humor me. Look at the dedication, at least."

"Fine, but I won't promise anything more than that."

I snatched the book away and stuffed it into my bag. Over the next few weeks Alice kept pestering me about the book, but I was feeling stubborn. I had purposely avoided reading it just because she said I should. I know it was a childish thing to do, but I wasn't going to be pushed around.

The move to our house in Denali went smoothly and it wasn't until I was unpacking that I came across _Forbidden Treasure_ again. I flipped to the table of contents and was mildly intrigued by the chapter names, so I searched for the dedication, just so I could tell Alice I'd finally done it.

_**For Eternity**_

_**For My Soul Mate**_

_**For E**_

While it seemed like a touching dedication, I still didn't see what it had to do with me. I turned the book over and for the first time saw the small picture of the author. She was beautiful. I felt even more drawn to the book than before but I felt kind of stupid wanting to read the story because I thought the author was gorgeous.

Nevertheless, I turned to the first page and began to pour over words on the page. In less than an hour I felt compelled, more like propelled to meet this Isabella Swan. I needed to get in touch with her.

I rushed down the stairs and was met by Alice holding out a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"The contact info for Ms. Swan's publisher." I swept her up and planted a huge kiss on her cheek.

"Alice you're the best."

"I know."

I looked at the paper and had to smile when I saw that it was a Seattle address. Ironic that we just left that area. I had no idea what I was doing, just that my feet were moving of their own accord. For the first time in a very long time I felt hopeful. It was a good feeling.

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A/N: Okay folks, so we're almost finito with this story, one more chapter and an epilogue, sorry the end has been a long time in coming, but I hope you understand why :) If you've read **_**A New Frontier, **_**my real life Evie is even more beautiful than the fictional one!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Okay folks this is the last chapter, but an epilogue is in the works. **

**I do have an idea for another story, and AU/AH story, with more B/E fluff. It's probably going to be called **_**Tapas at Twilight**_**. So if you want to know when it's posted PLEASE put me on author alert (in the little drop down menu at the bottom of the page, or check the box when you leave a review!)**

**Thanks again to all who have read and reviewed, and hung in there through all my crazy busy life! I love hearing from all of you! Thanks so much!**

**And thanks to Sweetthunder for making this chapter awesome even when she's in a drug induced stupor!**

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BPOV**

It felt good to be out of the city, to be away from everyone and everything. While the wildlife was scrumptious the solitude was crushing. I thought about the Cullens, _him_ especially, everyday, sometimes for hours. I wondered what they were doing, if they were still in South America, and if I would ever know if they were safe.

I was so upset with myself for not thinking through leaving them better. We just split up like it was no big deal, but it was such a big deal. I was quickly coming to understand just how lonely one can be without a companion. _How had Edward lived for so long with no one by his side?_ I shook that thought off because he had his family, I had no one.

While I was camping I discovered something; I loved to run. And run I did. I ran up and down the mountains, through the trees, over a lake like a skipping stone; it was exhilarating. I ran to my new favorite spot, a precipice overlooking a valley dotted with trees and other lush vegetation. I pulled out my cell phone again and sighed.

I had checked it numerous times but chose to ignore all of Jessica's calls. I just couldn't deal with her yakking at me about appearances and signings. I had to figure out a way to reconnect with the Cullens, but how? I couldn't just call them up, no numbers. I didn't want to alert the Volturi to my presence if they were being watched, which also made it impossible to just pop over to the Peace Corps camp.

With my trip winding down I decided to finally listen to all of Jessica's voice mails. I sighed as I realized that I was needed back in Seattle. Apparently I had to sign some new royalty agreement. I smiled when I listened to the message about my book hitting number one on the best seller charts. None of my other novels had made it out of double digits. I decided to call my mom and let her know about the best seller list and just to check in with her. Since she had come to my "rescue" right after returning, we'd talk every couple of weeks, and it was about that time.

We chatted about everything and nothing while I broke down my campsite. And in no time I was on my way back to the city, ready to face the monotonous, lonely music.

**EPOV**

I was pushing the limits of my trusty Volvo as I sped through the Alaskan wilderness. Some unseen force was urging me forward and I was feeling more alive than I had in months.

I mindlessly tapped my hands on the steering wheel mimicking the beat of the music on the stereo. My left leg was bouncing up and down and I felt restless.

Over a dozen hours later and I was standing in front of the address Alice had given me. It was a large office building housing lots of different types of businesses. I checked the listing in the lobby and sprinted up the stairs up to the tenth floor. I chuckled to myself thinking about how I could beat any silly human form of conveyance up ten flights of stairs.

As I walked into the office I was assaulted with the most sickly sweet smell I think I've ever come across. I surveyed the room quickly noting at least two of those plug in air "fresheners", in another corner of the room was a reed diffuser filled with essence of stink. Then, of course, there was the plastic Barbie receptionist who was wearing some kind of cheap celebrity perfume.

She looked up and I immediately groaned internally at the thoughts she was spewing my way.

_Hubba hubba, come over here to mamma. What I wouldn't give to see more of that..._

I quickly shut her out of my thoughts and tried to plaster a polite smile on my face. She turned slightly and readjusted her blouse to reveal more of her cleavage and then returned back to face me. Leaning forward she smiled, batted her eyes and said, "Welcome to Midnight Sun publishing, how can I help you?"

"I'm trying to get in touch with Ms. Isabella Swan. Is her agent here?"

"Do you have an appointment? Ms. Stanley doesn't see anyone without an appointment." She eyed me warily and began looking through an appointment calendar.

"Uh no, I don't. I just read one of her books and I really need to discuss something with Ms. Swan."

She raised an eyebrow at me and folded her arms, effectively pushing her chest up even higher. I rolled my eyes a bit but knew that I was going to have to use my vampire charm to get what I wanted. I leaned in a bit close to the Barbie woman and let my sweet breath wash over her face.

"Please, I'd really just like to talk with her agent, I promise it won't take long." I brushed my finger tip along her jaw, which seemed to be her undoing. For me it felt like ants crawling on my skin and I hated it.

With half lidded eyes, she nodded and buzzed Ms. Stanley's office. Within moments I was ushered back to a large office with huge windows overlooking the Seattle skyline. I looked around the office quickly while the frizzy brown haired woman was on the phone. Her back was to me and she held up one finger indicating she wouldn't be much longer. On the desk was a name plate reading _Jessica Stanley_ and piles of papers and manuscripts scattered around the small patches of free space.

As she turned again, I steeled myself against the inevitable onslaught of lascivious thoughts. She was too predictable.

_Who is this gorgeous hunk of manflesh and why is he in my office? Doesn't matter. I'll keep him. Maybe he's my next big hit, Bella's running out of steam._

My mental ears perked up immediately at the mention of Bella. I wondered if she was referring to Isabella Swan, my latest obsession. I also seemed to notice a hint of jealousy when she thought of Bella. She stood up quickly and smoothed out her skirt thrusting a hand in my direction.

"Jessica Stanley, what can I do for you?" She said in a sad attempt at sultriness.

"I was wondering if you could help me. I'm an old friend of Ms. Swan, but we've been out of touch. I'm in town on business for a couple of days and wanted to get together with her. Maybe you have an address or number where I can reach her?"

_Why on earth do you want to see her? She so ugh. I'll give you my number hot stuff. Later tonight we can..._I quickly tuned out of her thoughts.

"I'm afraid I really can't be giving out her contact info, I mean, for all I know you could be a crazy stalker or mass murderer or something." She started giggling maniacally and I started to wonder about her sanity. But oh how right she was, I was a mass murderer.

_I'll have to let Bella know about this guy, I hope she gets here soon...then again, maybe I could just get his info and keep him all for myself...mmmmm yummy._

"Of course you can't, never know these days huh?"

"If you want, you can leave your contact info and I can try and get it to her. She's been unreachable for the last several weeks, so no guarantees or anything." She heaped on the syrupy sweetness and handed me a note pad.

"And you'll make _sure_ she gets this as soon as possible?" I inquired as I jotted down my name and cell number.

"Of course," she looked down at the paper, "Edward. I'll do my very best." She purred.

_When hell freezes over..._

"Thanks. I'll just see myself out." She made to stand but I gave her a menacing look that warned to her stay put. As I walked out of the office, I could feel the hope starting to leak away. If her thoughts were any indication, Ms. Stanley would not be relaying my information to Ms. Swan so I'd have to figure something else out.

She had mentioned that Isabella was supposed to be stopping by the office. I debated whether or not it would be too creepy for me to wait somewhere near the building to see if I could spot her. As I was waffling back and forth my phone began to buzz in my pocket.

I glanced quickly at the caller ID and saw that it was Alice. "Help me Alice."

"There's a bench behind a large planter outside of the building. Sit there, make sure you're down wind of the door, and for goodness sake _try_ to act like a normal human being."

"How long should I wait?"

"Not long, she should be walking into the building in 13.6 minutes."

"Could you be more precise?"

"Shut up and do it. You know Edward," she paused, "it's strange how clearly I can pick up on this Isabella Swan. She's definitely someone important. Don't mess it up!"

"Thanks Alice." I snapped the phone shut and took up my position. Even with Alice's assurances, I still felt like a creepy stalker.

True to her word, I watched transfixed as an unearthly chestnut haired beauty strolled into the building, exactly 13.6 minutes after we ended our call.

I caught a diluted wisp of a delightful scent, flowers and strawberries. I couldn't pinpoint why, but something deep in my soul was stirred and I resolved, as creepy and stalkerish as it was, to follow Ms. Swan home.

**BPOV**

I stopped by my apartment and unloaded all of my gear before walking to Jessica's office. It was nice and overcast, otherwise I would've driven. I enjoyed people watching as I made my way down the sidewalk. Some were walking their dogs, others were seemingly talking to themselves, but then I'd notice the bluetooth headsets in their ears.

I laughed to myself at how ridiculous some of these people looked having animated discussions with who ever was on the other end of the line. To the outside observer they just looked like a certifiable crazy, muttering and arguing with themselves.

Another thing I loved about my new life was my stronger sense of balance and grace. But then I guess you have to have the bad to really appreciate a good thing once you've got it. I was so painfully clumsy before that I never took for granted that I could move through space with little to no injury, either to myself or others.

I marched through the door to the office building and headed for the stairs. I didn't feel like waiting for the elevator. I passed Lauren and headed right to Jessica's office and plopped down in the chair in front of the desk.

"Bella! You're alive, thank goodness. I was beginning to wonder."

I let a soft snort and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm here. So you mentioned I needed to sign something?"

"Oh right, here's the new royalty agreement. Just sign where it's highlighted." She pushed a folder toward me and I began to peruse the new agreement.

"Soooooo, this really hot guy stopped by the office and was asking about you."

"Really hot guy huh? What did he look like?"

I peered over the folder and rolled my eyes as Jessica began to stretch out in her chair propping her feet up on the desk. She folded her hands behind her head and sighed.

"Gorgeous. Perfect body, messy hair, muscles that would make you melt, and the most beautiful honey colored eyes."

At the mention of this man's eyes my skin started to prickle and my breathing sped up. If my heart still beat it would've been thumping like a jackhammer in my chest. I tried to be nonchalant, Jessica had become accustomed to my subdued demeanor. If I freaked out now, she'd be all over me with questions.

"Huh, so did he leave a name? A number or anything?"

"Oh, well, he said his name was like Edmund or Ernest or something like that, but no number."

I could feel my eye start to twitch. Had Edward really come here looking for me? Did he remember? _Stop it Bella! You're setting yourself up for more heartache._

"Was his name Edward, perhaps?"

"Yeah, that could be it. Do you know him?"

"Yes." _He is the only man I've ever loved, he's my soul mate, he's the only person who can make me whole._

"Well, he said he was only here for a day or two on business. Maybe you'll run into him or something."

"Yeah, maybe." I wanted to throttle Jessica. She was driving me crazy and I had to get out before I killed her on purpose on accident.

I signed the document nearly piercing it through with the ball point pen in my hand. "I'll see you later Jessica."

"I want a rough draft of the sequel in two weeks," she called out behind me.

I waved my hand without looking back. I didn't think there would be a sequel. I dashed out of the building and bustled my way down the street back to my apartment. I made my way quickly up the stairs and shoved my key into the lock.

Once I was in my little sanctuary I threw my things on the floor and crashed to the ground. This was one of those rare moments when I wished I could cry, when I wanted the tears streaming down my cheeks, when I wanted the sobs to not feel empty and hollow but thick and full of all the loss I was feeling. I lost track of time just laying there on the floor. I knew it was dark outside, but I wasn't sure how late it was.

A knock on the door broke me out of my trance. None of the neighbors talked to me. I think I gave them all the creeps, and no one but Jessica really knew where I lived. So I looked through the peep hole and gasped.

**EPOV**

I was a stalker. The kind of weirdo that talk shows warn women about when discussing street smarts and personal safety. When Isabella Swan left the office building she was in a hurry and moved quickly down the street. I kept my distance but never let her out of my sight.

As she moved through the people the wind kicked up and carried her distinct scent past my nose. This time I caught the unmistakable smell of a vampire. I stopped dead in my tracks. _Isabella Swan is a vampire? That would explain her exquisite beauty, but how? Her eyes were brown, she didn't really look like a vampire._

I picked up my pace when I noticed how far ahead of me she was. She swiftly turned into a building but the door shut and locked before I had enough time to reach it. I had to wait nearly an hour, trying to look inconspicuous, for someone I could follow inside. Finally an elderly woman with a cart full of groceries came to the door. She was struggling so I put on my most gentlemanly face and moved to help her with her cart.

"Thank you young man."

"You're quite welcome." I nodded while holding the door for her. "Say, do you know what floor Ms. Swan lives on?"

"Swan? Swan. Hmm, is she the quiet one?"

"Yes, with long brown hair, beautiful brown eyes, do you know her?"

The woman's eyes sparkled with a playful glint. "I think she's on the third floor. Never says much to anyone, always keeping to herself."

"Thank you. Have a wonderful evening," I said as I dashed to the stairwell once again. I could hear her faint chuckle as I took the steps four at a time. As soon as I stepped on to the third floor I could smell her. The scent was intoxicating and I couldn't help but be led by my feet to stand in front of what I assumed was her door.

I stopped for a moment to consider that maybe this wasn't her door, or what if she wasn't alone. I listened carefully trying to pick out the thoughts of the occupants but heard nothing. _Strange, I know she came in, her smell is all over the hallway._

I'd come this far, I was only here to talk, I wasn't going to hurt her, I just needed to know about the characters in her story. As I moved closer to the door, I could hear her soft moaning and dry sobs of anguish. Why was this creature so deeply saddened? Compelled by an irrational need to comfort this woman I knocked on the door.

I heard the soft steps and the quiet gasp when the peep hole was covered. The lock clicked and the door swung open very slowly. She was even more breathtaking close up and I nearly lost my train of thought and the whole reason I had followed her.

"Ms. Swan? Sorry to bother you but I was wondering if I could talk to you about your book?" I lamely held up the copy I had in my hand.

"Edward," she whispered. _What? How did she know my..._Before I could finish my thought, before I knew what was happening she flung herself at me and threw her arms around my neck and began laying kisses all over my face. I vaguely remember hearing the thud of the book as it landed on the ground when all of a sudden my mind was inundated with thoughts, _no memories_, of Isabella Swan. Bella. _MY_ Bella.

From the moment she walked on to a plane bound for Peru to the moment she walked out of an old abandoned shack, I remembered everything. In the space of five seconds my heart was healed and I began returning her kisses with fervor.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her up all the while never breaking contact with her lips. She wrapped her legs around my waist and grabbed my face in her hands. "Edward, you came back," she choked out.

"I told you I would find you," I panted. I walked us into her apartment and we resumed our hallway activities. When our kisses began to slow and become less frantic, I could feel her body relax against mine. I tightened my grip around her and sighed in utter peaceful contentment.

"Edward, how? How are you here?"

"Your book."

"My book? What about it?"

"I saw it in the airport about a month ago and had to buy it. Alice saw it, made fun of me, and then read it. She said I had to at least read the dedication, but I didn't stop there. After I finished it, I just knew deep down in my bones that I had to talk to you.

"For the last eight months I've felt empty, like I was missing something. I now know that it was you I was missing. I wasn't whole until this very minute."

"We owe Alice a big thank you," she said as she nuzzled into my side.

"Mmmhmm, but we can thank her later. I'll buy her a new car or something. Right now I just want to spend the next two days with you, no distractions." I began laying soft kisses along Bella's jaw line up to her ear. It almost made my toes curl when I heard the soft purring coming from my love's throat. She softly pushed me back and looked a bit nervous.

"Alice will see won't she?"

"She'd better see what would happen if she decides to interrupt." At that moment my phone buzzed. I flipped it open and growled, "I'll explain everything later Alice, don't call again. I mean it." I snapped my little silver cell phone closed and saw the reproachful look in Bella's eyes.

"Edward, be good."

"I'm always good, all the time." I pinched Bella's rear end and laughed as she jumped.

"I love you Bella," I said while stroking her cheek.

"I love you too, My Eternity, My Soul Mate, My Edward."

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A/N: So just the epilogue left, we'll see the reunion with the rest of the family and maybe we'll find out what happened to Victoria. Leave a review so we can make sure that Victoria hasn't amassed an army of newborn vampires to take down the Cullens! Thanks again!**

**And remember to get a notice when **_**Tapas at Twilight**_** is posted make sure to have me on author alert!**


	18. Epilogue

**A/N: Well folks, this is the end of The Blood Crystal. Sorry it's taken a while to get this out. I hope you enjoyed it, if so drop me a little love and let me know. Here's the news...**

**_NEW STORY_–I'm starting to write **_**Tapas at Twilight**_**, there's a teaser at the bottom of this chapter. If you'd like to know when it's updated, please put me on Author Alert. **

**Thanks again so much to everyone who reviews, I love reading every single one of your comments!**

**And a huge shout out to my Super Beta, Sweetthunder, she's awesome. Go check out her story-Mike Newton Discovered, it's like nothing you've ever read about Mikey Pooh.**

**And now *sniff *sniff, here's the conclusion to our romantic adventure.**

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BPOV**

Edward and I spent the rest of the night talking about what we'd been doing since Peru, among other activities. Kissing Edward felt like drinking in the sweetest water after being parched for the last eight months. It was almost as though we had never been apart, almost.

He explained everything that happened in their meeting with the Volturi. I was so thankful that they had no real knowledge of me. And I was especially grateful that all of the Cullens got out of there safely. The Volturi seemed like a jealous and rather ruthless coven. I really didn't _ever_ want to meet them. I was intrigued, though, that the one named Marcus could tell that Edward's heart and soul were spoken for.

I nearly blew a gasket when Edward told me that he had given Jessica his contact information. She was so fired. I talked about just quitting my writing entirely, but Edward completely freaked out. He went on and on about how that was the only thing that brought us back together and how could I turn my back on it? etc. He was so dramatic but in the end he convinced me to keep at it for a while longer. When it was time for us to truly disappear I would quit. Edward suggested I start using a pen name like Florence or LaVyrle, _very romantic_. He may love my writing, but I think he enjoys the idea of teasing me for an eternity more.

It was thinking about the day I would have to "die" for show that I was truly glad for my gift. I could be around my Mom and Dad without much scandal and I would be able to make my separation from them easier for them to bear. That thought brought me more comfort than I realized.

The next day was too sunny out so we spent the whole of the day cuddling and loving each other. I made a few calls to some other literary agents and they were more than happy to take me on after I kicked Jessica to the curb. That evening we drove to the outskirts of the city and did some hunting.

His beauty and grace still completely enthralled me and I greedily absorbed every image of him stalking his prey. I suppose he did the same when I was hunting too.

As the night drew to a close we returned to my apartment and cleaned up. Today was the day. I felt a confidence in myself I had never had before. I tried not to get too worked up though; I didn't want my inner monster making an appearance. I swiftly marched into the towering office building and sprinted up the stairs. I swept past Lauren, and straight into Jessica's office, with Edward on my heels.

She looked completely surprised to see me and it took a moment for her to regain her composure, most likely due to Edward's presence.

"Be..Bel...Bella! What a surprise! And Edward? I see you were able to find Isabella huh?" She was stammering like an idiot, and I felt just a twinge of guilt for what I was about to do. It was a very very small twinge.

"Yeah, Jessica. Funny thing, Edward decided to wait for me downstairs that day that I was here."

"Oh?! Well, how fortunate that you guys were able to hook up then huh?" She was practically squirming in her seat, her heart rate sped up and her eyes were looking everywhere but mine, lingering especially over the exquisite figure of my mate. Edward crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes and I could only imagine what Jessica was thinking about him right now. He looked positively glorious and dangerous and heartbreakingly sexy all at the same time.

I was done with her games now. "You lied."

"Huh?" That was a genius response.

"You lied about having a way to contact Edward and I'm done with your crap," I began to giggle when I thought about what I was going to say next. In true Donald Trump fashion I looked up at her with my fingertips tented together and said, "you're fired."

"But I...I...Bella you can't..."

"Save it Jessica. I just did. I'll expect you to turn over any and all pertinent documents to my new agent when he contacts you."

I looked up at Edward who was holding his hand out for me. "Ready Love?"

I nodded and pressed forward to kiss him firmly on the lips. He threaded his free hand in my hair and let out a satisfied groan before turning toward the desk. "Goodbye Jessica," he offered with a smirk.

I could hear her continue to splutter and curse and just as the office door closed she let out a frustrated "Arrrrrrgghhhh". I could just imagine her face turning purple and her fists balled up next to her side. We burst into a fit of laughter as soon as we were out of the building.

"That felt so good. She was completely blind sided." I pondered for a moment about my writing as we walked back to my apartment. "Do you think Jasper could help me get some new paperwork so I can author under a pen name? I'm thinking something like Joan Wilder."

"I'm sure we can work something out. In fact, we should head back up there so you can give _our_ family their memories back."

The fact that he used the words 'our family' were not lost on me and it made my heart soar. Edward looked over and smiled halfheartedly at me.

"Is something wrong?" I questioned, worried now that he was bringing me to his family's home out of a sense of obligation or something.

"No, I was just thinking about all of the memories you restored to me. You didn't....edit anything did you?"

I huffed feeling slightly offended that he would think I'd hold anything back from him. "No Edward you got the full, completely uncut version. Though I'm very tempted to omit the whole 'high as a kite Bella' from at least Emmett's mind."

Edward laughed heartily at that. "You'd have to keep it from Alice too, and you know if she ever found out you held back, as punishment, she'd probably drag you on a shopping marathon that would literally span continents." He wrapped his arms around me and nibbled my earlobe.

"Mmmm, you're probably right. Fine. Full disclosure policy, but I don't have to like it and I'm still stronger than you, and Emmett for that matter, so if he says anything I'll just pummel him." I squeezed Edward's waist with some of my waning newborn strength causing him to grunt.

"That's my girl," he said with a slightly pained _ugh_. I released him but kept one arm around his waist as we continued walking.

I didn't have much that needed to be packed so we didn't stay in Seattle for any longer than necessary.

The drive up to Alaska was fairly uneventful, I'm sure it was much more interesting for Edward now that he had some company. The conversation flowed easily until I started talking about Victoria. Edward immediately stiffened and cursed under his breath.

"I completely forgot about her. Once we had the crystal and Laurent was taken care of, I put the whole thing out of my mind. Thinking back though, she was quite put out that I killed James."

I hadn't really been in a state of coherency during that part of the fight, so I could only imagine. There would be no stopping me if someone killed Edward in front of my eyes. I would probably be crazed and looking for revenge. What would she do? What lengths would she go to? I shivered slightly and shook the thought out of my mind.

"What are you thinking, love?" Edward reached over the center console and took my hand in his.

"Just about Victoria, and what I would do if I witnessed my mate being torn to shreds." I said staring out at the Alaskan wilderness. It was a breathtaking view from the winding mountain road we were traveling on.

He winced at the visual I had just given him and began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. The phone began to ring at the same time as he was reaching for it. He flipped it open and greeted whoever was calling.

"How soon Alice?" '_How soon for what?'_ was my initial thought. She had seen something and we needed to be ready for it.

I was looking over at Edward who was snapping his phone shut when a streak of red hair flew from the forest. Victoria. _Speak of the devil and she shall appear_, I thought sarcastically. She came at us with enough force to push the car over the edge of the road and down the ravine.

I braced myself slightly and began counting. The car rolled a total of eight times and flipped end over end another three times before it came to a stop at the bottom. I looked quickly over at Edward. His eyes were black and he looked positively ferocious. He turned to me and surveyed me quickly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded mutely as he ripped off the mangled door and leapt out of the car. I pushed on my door sending it flying away from me. My strength still startled me sometimes. I hopped out of the car and dusted the chunks of glass off of me. I could smell Victoria but she was keeping her distance. I turned when I heard Edward roar.

"Dammit woman! Look what you did to my car!" He was running his hand along the crumpled hood of his precious silver Volvo. A high pitched cackle erupted from the cover of the forest.

I moved closer to his side and took his hand in mine, trying to soothe him as best I could.

"Come out Victoria and stop being a coward, or is that your special vampire ability-knowing when to run away with your tail between your legs?" I called out.

With my taunts she screeched and plowed out of the trees towards us.

**EPOV**

While Bella was taunting Victoria I tried to get a read on her thoughts but she was all over the place, like she had gone insane with rage and vengeance. All I could catch was '_mate for a mate_' over and over. That was when I heard a second voice in my head, '_follow the plan–no thoughts– stupid...shhhhh'. _And then I felt a pair of vice-like arms wrap around me. Whoever it was had to be a newborn, they were too strong but his actions were frantic and uncoordinated. His thoughts kept punching through his attempt to block me out. _He's with Victoria._

I tried to struggle against his grip but he had a handful of my hair and his teeth poised at my throat, ready to rip my head off. All I could do was watch as my beloved stalked the crazy witch. They circled around gauging each others next move. I had been so focused on the newborn that had grabbed me, I didn't realize that Bella and Victoria were exchanging words.

"I'm not going anywhere Victoria," Bella spat.

"You'll be dead in a matter of moments. I've been watching you and you're nothing special."

Bella smirked and narrowed her eyes. She concentrated for a moment and then Victoria stopped dead in her tracks. In a swift movement Bella tackled her to the ground and began pounding on her.

"And this is for slamming me up against a boulder," Bella said as she pulled Victoria up by the shoulders and slammed her back down. Victoria never moved a muscle. Instead Bella stood up, brushed the dirt and debris from her clothing and walked over towards me.

"Don't come any closer, I'll tear his head off," screamed the young man holding me.

"What is your name?" Bella purred.

"R...Ri...Riley," he stuttered out.

"Hmmm, well Riley, I hope that you enjoyed your time with Victoria, because I'm afraid it's at an end," Bella continued to advance on us. I could hear his fragmented thoughts becoming more and more frantic.

Bella stopped and closed her eyes. She wrinkled her brow and took in a deep and unnecessary breath. Her face was set in concentration, but the corners of her mouth were turned down. She didn't like what she was thinking about, that much I could tell just from her body language.

After about thirty seconds she looked up and focused in on Riley. He dropped his arms to his side and marched over to Victoria, much like an automaton. He lifted up the still unmoving Victoria and made his way back to the Volvo.

Riley was stroking her hair and set her in the front seat. "It's too cold Vicky, too cold. I need to start a fire." In her head she was screaming, _Riley what are you doing? No, Riley, No no no no NOOOOOOOOO._

Those were her final thoughts as the newborn settled himself in the driver seat and lit his clothing on fire. He then reached over and lit Victoria's pants on fire as well.

"Bella, what were you thinking when Victoria stopped moving?" I just had to know.

"She was starting to really annoy me with all her dancing around so I just wished that she would stop moving." She shrugged her shoulders and continued to stare into the now raging fire.

I snaked my arm around Bella's waist and moved us back away from the car. Bella made sure that her purse and ID were far enough away that when the authorities found the crash, they'd presume Bella to be dead.

"I'm sorry about your car Edward. After thinking about it, it seemed like a good way to kill two birds with one stone, or three, if you count Riley." She hunched her shoulders and had the most dejected look on her face. I knew it killed her all over again to have to do something like this to her parents.

I pulled her close and took her face in my hands. I knew she'd be crying right now if she still could. "I love you Bella. Forever." I slowly leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed in more fervently.

What started as an innocent kiss of comfort and reassurance turned into a desperate need to bind her to me for eternity. She greedily accepted my open mouth kisses, her hand tugging roughly in my hair. I held on to her tightly lifting her up and ravaging her lips and neck.

"Bella, I want you to be mine," I whispered huskily.

"I am yours, for eternity Edward. I think I have been since the moment I saw you."

"Marry me, Love." _Shoot, I didn't mean for it to come out that way. This was NOT the atmosphere I had planned on, when asking Bella to be my eternal companion. I'm such an idiot._

She stopped her movements and looked deeply into my eyes. I'm sure I had the most ridiculous mix of emotions playing on my face, annoyance at myself to hopefulness. She raised an eyebrow and began to smile.

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied crashing her lips back onto mine. I was too stunned to respond immediately. _She said yes dummy, kiss her back._ I snapped back into awareness and traced her lips with my tongue. We made out like a couple of teenagers for a good fifteen minutes before I began to pull away.

She moaned softly as a light shiver swept through her body. I hugged her to me tightly and nuzzled just below her ear. "We're not too far from the house, are you ready to face our family?"

Bella sighed and looked back over at the burning car. She turned back to me and said, "I really am sorry about your car."

"Don't worry about it sweetheart. I've still got the Aston Martin," I said nonchalantly but inside I was thinking, '_Dang, I really am gonna miss that car. Maybe I'll just get another one._'

We made sure that the fire wouldn't cause too much damage to the surrounding forest. I placed an anonymous call to the police alerting them to the crash. We hid in the forest and watched as the authorities arrived. We stayed long enough to see the initial survey of the scene. They found Bella's things and got the fire put out. Riley and Victoria had long since turned to ash, so Bella used her power to make the detectives think that the fire had burned so hot that it cremated our bodies. She was now officially dead.

A quiet sob escaped her lips as we ran through the forest toward our home. It would be a long time before she was really able to get over this loss. Sensing her distress I slowed down and took her hand. "Bella, we can visit your parents, in secret, and you could maybe use your ability to help them cope with the loss. Maybe Jasper would be willing to join us and provide them with a sense of calm?"

She sniffed and looked up at me. "I'd like that Edward. Thank you," she whispered.

"Anything for you, Love." We took off again and made it back to the large cabin in under an hour.

**BPOV**

Edward was being so sweet. He understood how hard the whole confrontation with Victoria and Riley had been. I guess he didn't really need to read my mind to know what I needed, we were that connected.

I started feeling nervous and excited as we came up to the house. The Cullens certainly didn't do anything halfway. The cabin was enormous. It was perched on a hill overlooking a valley and small lake, and was surrounded by thick forest. This was a perfect spot for a family of vampires.

As we approached the front porch, the door swung open and everyone piled out. Carlisle and Esme looked just as lovely and perfect as they did before. Jasper had his arms wrapped lazily around Alice from behind. Alice on the other hand was bouncing up and down, she knew something big was about to happen. Emmett was just smiling his big goofy, normal Emmett smile, while Rosalie was trying to look aloof while sizing me up, arms crossed in front of her chest. I sighed inwardly, _will I never meet her approval?_

Edward and I slowly walked hand in hand up to the bottom step. He turned and looked over at me with his beautiful crooked smile and simply nodded. I closed my eyes and released all of the memories I had taken from them, from my family.

I opened my eyes and stifled the giggles that threatened to erupt as I watched the curtains being drawn from their minds. I was starting to get really good at using my ability. Slowly, understanding dawned on their faces. Alice was the first to react though.

"BELLA!!!!" She shrieked as she launched herself at me. I kind of expected that reaction so I was braced for it. We spun around and she held on fiercely.

"Oh my gosh, you were gone, and then Edward was so sad, but we didn't know why. And then I would see you and...and then the book...and the visions...and I thought you were dead... but you're here...and...and," then she turned on Edward, "and I can't believe you asked her to marry you like that you idiot!"

Edward cringed and shook his head. "I know Alice, it didn't happen like I thought it would, but I don't regret it."

I peeled myself out of Alice's tiny arms and took both of Edward's hands in mine. "I don't either. It was the perfect moment."

At that, I turned back to the rest of the Family. Carlisle came over and gave me a big hug, Esme was right behind him. I felt a little awkward with Esme, because I hadn't really spent much time with her, but that dissipated quickly. I felt nothing but love and acceptance flow from her.

Jasper came up next to Alice and gave me a side hug and welcomed me into the family. Rosalie slowly made her way forward and seemed like she was giving me the once over. She tilted her head and I heard the low rumble from Edward's chest. He must not have been happy about what she was thinking. She masked her face and gave me a half smile. "Welcome to the family Bella. Hopefully you can keep Emoward in check." She smirked and backed up on to the porch again.

Emmett was the last to step forward. "It's good to have you back squirt," he said as he ruffled my hair. I swatted his hand away and noticed the mischievous gleam in his eye. "It's too bad narcotics won't have much of an effect on you now. That could've made for some awesome campfire entertainment," he said as he started to run away.

_Oh no he didn't. _He ran through the clearing all the while singing, "Ooohh here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up. Ooohh here she comes, she's a maneater." I quickly chased him down and plowed into him. He caught me around the waist and we struggled a bit. I hooked my leg around his and rolled him over pinning his shoulders to the ground. He wiggled underneath me but I kept him pinned to the ground.

"Emmett," I hissed, "not another word of that incident or I'll make you forget how to have sex."

His eyes bugged out of his head for a moment, but then he narrowed them, "you wouldn't."

"Don't test her you big dumb oaf," shouted Rosalie. Jasper and Edward were roaring with laughter, while Carlisle was shaking his head and Alice and Esme were snickering softly.

Alice piped up, "You don't want to see what Rosalie does to you if you don't agree Em."

Emmett relaxed and signaled his surrender. I jumped up and held my hand out to him. He accepted it and then scooped me up onto his back. He ran us back to our family and set me down next to Edward. As he walked away he started humming the tune of the song. Rosalie swatted the back of his head and told him to shut up.

"What?" he whined. "She said not another word. I wasn't talking, so it doesn't count." He then stuck his tongue out at me like a five year old.

"Watch it Emmett, I think she's serious about this one, there is no humor coming from her," Jasper noted.

Emmett sighed, "fine. Not another mention."

I turned to Edward, who's eyes were shining with happiness. I smiled and leaned in to his chest. He wrapped his strong arms around me and I knew that forever would be perfect.

"I love you," I whispered into his ear.

"I love you too, my Bella."

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A/N: So there it is. I hope I got everything wrapped up that needed to be taken care of. And thanks again to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story! As always Reviews=Love!**

**And now here's a very tiny teaser for **_**Tapas at Twilight**_

_**Summary: Single mom Bella loses her job and decides to follow her dream of opening her own restaurant. She has a ton of hurdles to overcome, one being her noisy upstairs neighbor. Can she find success and maybe a little bit of love along the way? AH, AU, Canon pairs**_

"Bella, you home sweetie?" I smiled at my mother's disheveled appearance. It looked like she'd fallen asleep reading one of her romance novels again.

"Yeah mom, I'm home," I whispered.

"How was work?" She always tried to show some interest in what I was doing.

"Work was...ugh."

"That good huh?"

"Chef Beaufort was on one tonight, I'm just lucky he didn't bite my head off. I did get several compliments on that dish I was playing around with the other night, though."

"Oohhh that was a good one. I'm glad hon," as she let out a huge yawn.

"Did you hear from Phil?"

"Yeah, they should be back in town in a couple days."

"Good. So how did everything go at school today?"

"Fine, Mrs. Yates sent home a writing assignment that's due next week. I think Nessie wants you to help her with that."

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The first chapter will probably be posted tomorrow...Author alert so you'll know!**


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